The resurfaced diamonds at Elyria’s West Park are a huge hit.
“We’ve had nothing but compliments,” said parks and recreation director Frank Gustoff. “Everybody loves it. The new dirt infields look sharp. We also bought new temporary fences, like wind screen. We’ll set them up 200 feet from the plate for the fastpitch tournaments.”
The new fields — without temporary fences — are nearly finished with the first half of the city’s slowpitch season. Starting Friday, they’ll host a fastpitch tournament for the first time when the Elyria Softball Organization holds its 36-team Summer Kickoff. The tournament continues through Sunday.
It will feature teams from across the state in three age groups, 10-, 12- and 14-and-under. ESO will field teams in each age group. The “Kickoff” is a National Softball Association qualifier with top teams earning bids to national championship tournaments. Players will have the chance to attend clinics featuring NCAA Division 1 softball players.
Chris Sito of ESO said area softball fans will get a first look at some future high school stars.
“We have teams from all over the state coming to Elyria,” said Sito, the tourney coordinator. “The girls you’ll read about in the newspaper in just a few years get their start in tournaments like this one.”
Like most of the summer fastpitch tournaments, there will be plenty of food. Lake Erie perch, barbecued ribs and chicken, burgers and hotdogs, Hershey’s ice cream, smoothies and gourmet coffee will be available.
Play will begin at 4 p.m. Friday and will conclude with single-elimination play all day Sunday. Games will be held at West Park and on the Elyria High varsity and junior varsity diamonds at old West High School off Griswold Road. There is no admission charge.
Player will participate in a scavenger hunt at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Ely Square in downtown Elyria, with tournament teams competing to win equipment from Kohlmyer Sporting Goods. The tournament is sponsored by EMH Regional Healthcare System, Tuffy Auto Service Center, Powerhouse Gym and Romeo’s Pizza.

Deja vu again?

When the Elyria SunDogs collided with Grand Slam of the Akron-Canton area Thursday night, it seemed a little like a replay of the Division I state championship game.
Not to stir up bad memories, but that was the one in which North Canton Hoover nipped Elyria 1-0 in 10 innings on Saturday in Akron’s Firestone Stadium.
This time it was played in Canton, Mich., in suburban Detroit.
The SunDogs are made up mostly of Elyria players from that state runner-up team. The Grand Slam roster includes Hoover pitcher Jessica Simpson, who tossed a two-hitter at Elyria, and outfielder McKenna Russ, who manufactured and scored the game’s only run.
And this time, the good guys won. It was 2-0 as Elyria’s Tess Sito pitched a four-hitter, struck out six and walked none. Sito, Gatorade’s Ohio player of the year, scored both runs. She was singled home by the Pioneers’ Megan Bashak in the fourth.
Later, after she was hit by a pitch, Sito ran all the way to third when Bashak sacrificed and no one covered third. She scored on a double steal after Elyria catcher Jen Bower walked. Sito, Bashak, the Pioneers’ Ashlee Stolarski and North Ridgeville’s Jaime Frindt had the SunDogs’ hits.
Also on the SunDogs roster are Jess Bellottie, Jen Bower, Kristen Fyffe and Jessica Mandula of Elyria, Allecia Sunagel of Amherst, Erin Sunagel of Midview and Lorain County Miss Softball Jillian Van Wagnen of Admiral King. Wellington’s Melissa Rennie is on the Grand Slam roster.
Thursday night’s meeting was an opener in the big Compuware tournament, which attracts fastpitch teams from around the country every year. The ’Dogs play in the ASA Class A state tournament in Toledo next weekend.

Spirit tourneys

The North Coast Spirit organization has full registration for its two annual tournaments at the Shady Drive softball complex in North Ridgeville. The Uncle Stan’s tournament, directed by Stan Bielawski, and the North Coast Nailbiter, directed by Joe Holava, will each host 60 fastpitch teams from several states and all over Ohio.
Both are NSA World Series qualifiers, and both have earned praise from Ohio NSA officials.
Uncle Stan’s, the older of the two, is scheduled Friday through Sunday and is expected to draw 5,000 people to Shady Drive. The tournament offers competition in five age groups, 10- through
18-and-under in a four-game guarantee format, weather permitting. Three pool-play games determine bracket placement for single-elimination play on Sunday.
Always a good spot for lunch or a snack, Uncle Stan’s this year features Big Dog from Wellington, smoothies, Hershey’s ice cream, its always popular hot dogs and a new popcorn vendor this year. There will also be clothing vendors and helmet painters, among other enterprises.
The Nailbiter, scheduled July 11-13, also features a four-game format in the same age groups. And an array of vendors.

Rocco solid

Westlake’s Meredith Rocco ended her high school softball career the way she played it. The all-star catcher, who was a Chronicle player of the week this spring, was a first-team All-Southwestern Conference and All-Northeast District selection, and earned All-Ohio recognition on the Division I second team.
Rocco also made her way into the OHSAA record book with two home runs in a game, which she did twice. And she is only the third player in the history of the Demons softball program to receive all-state recognition. Rocco broke four single-season school records — home runs ( eight), RBIs (36), slugging percentage (.892) and total bases (66).

Frindt’s record

We’re still trying to piece together the complete career record for Norm Frindt, who just completed his 28th season as head coach at North Ridgeville. I told Norm a month ago that pinning down his record for five missing seasons would be easy — “It’ll be a piece of cake, Norm.”
Wrong. It’s been like looking for the proverbial needle in the cliched haystack. If anyone has the Rangers’ won-lost records for 1990, ’92, ’99, 2000 and ’01, would you please send it to the
e-mail address below? Or call Frindt with the numbers so he can e-mail them. Meantime, still digging.

Fenik ailing

Been unable to check in with Elyria coach Ken Fenik who, it is said, was hospitalized last weekend not long after his Pioneers lost a third straight state championship game.
Reports are Fenik suffered a recurrence of a kidney stone problem that has sidelined him in the past. Numerous folks have asked how he’s doing. Aside from the fact that EMH Regional Medical Center reports he’s been discharged, I don’t know.
It’s a painful affliction. We wish him well. He has done a remarkable job with the Pioneers and this year posted his 300th career coaching victory in his 14th season as head coach. Elyria finished 28-2, which puts Fenik at 325-58 for his career.

Goodpasture, too

North Canton Hoover coach Jerry Goodpasture has health problems of his own. The
69-year-old Goodpasture was expected to be present when his Grand Slam travel team faced the Elyria SunDogs in suburban Detroit on Thursday.
But his activities will be limited this summer. He is to undergo double-bypass heart surgery in the next week or so at Aultman Hospital in Canton to remove blockage in secondary arteries. He told his team, “It’s no big deal.”
According to the Canton Repository, there have been rumors that Goodpasture might pack it in as coach of the Grand Slam or Hoover’s Vikings or both. But, he told the newspaper, it’s just talk.

Two just perfect

Only two teams remain undefeated in the Elyria Parks and Recreation Department’s summer slowpitch program at West Park. Dear Consumer.com is 7-0 in the Men’s West League and Dental Works is 7-0 in the Men’s South League, said city softball commissioner Garry Mason.
There’s a two-way tie for first place in the Men’s Elite League between the Cabana and New Image Sports Bar, both 5-1. And Rebman’s Recreation and Harry Buffalo, both 6-1, are tied for the Women’s League lead.
The slowpitch program is closing in on the end of its first half.
Contact Daniels at 329-7135 or softball@bobdaniels.info. 

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