Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 23, 1993 TAG: 9307230054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS BACHELDER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Roanoke Valley beware:
It's gonna rain softballs this weekend.
Salem's Moyer Complex is a first-time site for one of 15 National Invitational Tournaments held annually by the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association.
A heavy-hitting field of about 25 teams, including the three top-ranked clubs in the country, will scrap and slam today to Sunday for one precious bid to the 16-team USSSA World Series in Florida in September.
"We've got the cream of the crop," said tournament director and Salem USSSA official Ben Lockhart. "The big boys will be here."
The main attractions are top-rated Ritch's/Superior - the two-time defending World Series champ from Windsor Locks, Conn. - second-ranked Bell Corp. (Tampa, Fla.) and No. 3 Steele Sports (Brookpark, Ohio).
These big guys would rather not sweat it out on the basepaths. They prefer to launch leather and laces into a neighboring state, and then take a leisurely, counter-clockwise tour of the facility.
Some of the numbers are outrageous: Ritch's/Superior is 53-2 this year, with a team batting average of .705 and 952 home runs. Nine hundred and fifty-two home runs.
That comes to more than 17 souvenir slams per game. Ten Ritch's/Superior players have 70 or more homers this year, and the team belted 108 in a six-game tournament sweep last weekend (championship game score: 44-16).
"They've won it all two years in a row and they're destined to do it again, unless something funky happens," Lockhart said.
Third baseman Charles Wright, Ritch's senior statesman at 40, is the team's most daunting long-baller. Wright, who hit a staggering 500 homers in 1986, has 115 so far this season. Last year, the 6-foot-5, 250-pounder went deep once out of every 2.17 at bats.
Bell Corp. is led by local basher Monty Tucker. Tucker, 37, is an insurance agent in Fincastle, but he offers the opposition no policy against his big swing.
The 6-9, 315-pounder is a lifetime .698 hitter who is one of only 12 players ever to surpass 400 homers in a season.
"I anticipate that some national scoring records will be broken," Lockhart said. "With these horses coming in and the way the ball jumps out of the park, I'm looking for basketball scores."
Other sluggers this weekend will include former college football stars and former major league baseball players. While Tucker never even played high school sports, teammate Kim Seaman reached the big leagues with the New York Mets and San Diego Padres.
(Seaman, incidentally, went 29-for-29 with 18 homers in one 1991 tournament.)
Bell Corp. brothers Dan Schuck and Kenny Schuck played football at Texas Christian and Tulane, respectively. Dan Schuck once set a record with 13 RBI in a USSSA World Series game.
"These guys will totally amaze you," Lockhart guaranteed. "And not with just their hitting. People will be shocked at their athletic ability.
"They are in top shape. They're not just a bunch of beer bellies cranking the ball. They play defense and really go at each other."
Daily admission will be $4, and a weekend pass will sell for $7. Children under 12 will be admitted free.
Play begins tonight, and the top two teams are in action. Ritch's/Superior will play at 6:30 p.m., and Bell Corp. will follow in a game at 7:30.
Saturday's and Sunday's action will start at about 7 a.m., and the championship game is scheduled for approximately 1 p.m. Sunday.
by CNB