Customs goodwill softball tourney down to six teams

Two teams received pink slips after Saturday’s games in the 2009 Custom Goodwill Softball Tournament at the Dandan Elementary School Softball Field.

Making an early exit and leaving six teams to battle for the championship were Sakudi and the Sciff Stars.

The Sciff Stars was paired with Your Balls in the first round of the double-elimination tournament with the latter winning, 13-6, to advance to the semifinals of the winners’ bracket.

The Sciff Stars then dropped to the losers’ bracket and were booted out by FAS following the latter’s 8-5 triumph. FAS earlier bowed to NMC We Are U in its first game, 8-7.

Team Nang handed Sakudi its first loss, 11-1, and the latter followed the Sciff Stars to the showers after absorbing a 67-8 defeat at the hands of Goodwill.

It was a come-from-behind win for Goodwill, which trailed in the first five innings. Goodwill scored five runs in the first two innings, but was shut out in the next three innings.

Sakudi had two runs apiece in the first three innings and added on in the fifth, and lost the lead and the game when it failed to score in the last two innings.

Despite the win, Goodwill is still in the losers’ bracket, along with FAS, which was set to meet the loser between the NMC We Are U and Your Balls tiff yesterday.

If FAS losses, it can kiss its title bid goodbye and the same goes with Goodwill, which was paired with the loser of the Team Nang and DCEPT 6 match.

DCEPT6, which prevailed over Goodwill in its first game, won the inaugural Custom softball tournament last year and was hoping to win back-to-back titles.

DCEPT 6 needed an extra game to edge Faha and rule the 2008 Customs Goodwill Fundraising Softball Tournament held at the Capital Hill Ballfield.

The eventual 2008 champion earned a twice-to-beat advantage in the finals having swept its three games in the elimination round, but failed to finish the job early, losing Game 1, 8-19. In Game 2, DCEPT 6 regained its bearings and nailed 16-5 victory to foil Faja’s upset bid.

Eleven teams joined last year’s goodwill tournament with Mangge, FAS, Your Balls, Sufa, Miller Killer, Heats, AJ’s, Natibu, and Sakudi Umbre on the list.

This year, only eight signed up with the defending champion DCEPT 6 set to square off with Team Nang at 10 a.m. yesterday for the first semis ticket. The winner of the morning match will duel the victor of the late Saturday afternoon tiff between NMC We Are U and Your Balls for the first finals seat.