In the playoffs the Choir Boys opened against the DVI Gladiators, a team that had just defeated them in the round robin with an impressive offensive display. The Choir Boys got redemption when it mattered most and put DVI in the loser’s bracket. But the Choir Boys were not done just yet. They then took down the #2 seed State Razed and returned on Sunday morning as one of only 4 undefeated teams. They would later face Aftershock to determine who would advance to the undefeated game and guarantee a final 3 finish.

Concord Combo had a tough first round draw but managed to defeat Sacramento Police Softball before dropping into the loser’s bracket courtesy of the DEA Combo.

Direct Impact defeated CenCal rival Quit Resisting but later fell to the defending World Series Champions, HardCor.

Speaking of HardCor, they looked strong with wins over Santa Cruz and Direct Impact which placed them on a collision course with the DEA Combo in the undefeated round. New HardCor catcher Chad Johnson was red hot at the plate and did not make an out on Saturday.

The SoCal Alliance opened against Combat/Syndicate, a team that just finished 3rd in the Sunnyvale NorCal Season Kickoff. The Alliance was coming into the tourney on the heels of a disappointing showing in Las Vegas, but in this match up the Alliance prevailed. The positive momentum was short lived for the Alliance as they dropped their very next game at the hands of a balanced Aftershock attack. For the Aftershock they became the 4th and final undefeated team and would meet the Choir Boys for a shot at the dance. For the Alliance it would mean they would have to peel off 7 straight back to back to back…etc. wins in order to claim the championship. Playing 8 games in a row with no breaks and only 10 players is not the ideal situation to be in but they were in that same position last year at the Star 6 and managed to prevail.

Stanislaus looked solid in the round robin but lost two quick playoff games to Aftershock and Combat/Syndicate and finished T13. Quit Resisting did not get firing on all cylinders this weekend and also dropped their first two playoff games to Direct Impact and Santa Cruz.

In the loser’s bracket Concord eliminated Combat/Syndicate, Direct Impact eliminated DVI, Alliance eliminated Sac Police and State Razed eliminated Santa Cruz. Those teams finished T9.

Direct Impact then posted what many would consider an upset victory over Concord and the Alliance defeated the host team State Razed despite a Brooks Robinson’esque performance by State Razed third baseman Russ Villalba. Those teams finished T7.

In the winner’s bracket for 4 unbeaten teams matched up and a red hot DEA Combo sent HardCor into the loser’s bracket while the Choir Boys momentum continued to roll with a big victory over Aftershock. The undefeated game was set, DEA Combo vs. Choir Boys. But first the loser’s bracket had to play out a little longer.

Aftershock eliminated Direct Impact and in a game featuring World Series Champions, the Alliance defeated HardCor in a back-and-forth affair. Those teams finished T5,

A rematch was now set between the Alliance and the team that sent them into the loser bracket early, Aftershock. The Aftershock looked strong all weekend behind solid defense, a combination of base hitting and situational power hitting and solid pitching from Ryan Saucedo. Even though this was the 5th game in a row for the Alliance they still had enough steam to defeat Aftershock this time around. Aftershock finished in 4th place.

While that game was being played, two unbeaten teams were slugging it out but it was DEA Combo ace Gabe Rodriguez who held the Choir Boys bats at bay to record yet another impressive DEA Combo victory. DEA Combo was now in the catbird seat, undefeated on the weekend with a perfect 5-0 record and needing to be double dipped.

The Choir Boys then faced the Alliance, two teams that have only matched up a few times in past years. Both teams had their work cut out for them. The Choir Boys had looked outstanding all weekend, but coming off a tough loss in the unbeaten game they would need to regain that positive momentum which is often times difficult to recapture. The Alliance players were obviously banged up and were now playing in their 6th game in a row so they too were in a tough spot. When the dust settled it was the Alliance who secured the victory. The Choir Boys finished in 3rd place and inked their second straight strong performance of the year following a 2nd place finish in Sunnyvale.

The championship game pitted two familiar friendly foes, the DEA Combo and the Alliance. There were battles within the battle such as Gabe Rodriguez against Ryan Coe both of whom are widely recognized as two of the top pitchers in the West circuit. And, Johnny Sunia against George Reyes, unquestionably two of the top power hitters in the game. And Chad Howard against Mitch Brouillette, two of the top center fielders in the game. And…well you get the idea. Both games were hotly contested and although players were dirty, sweaty, bloody and exhausted the echoes of laughter filled the complex. Although both teams were giving their best efforts, having a good time was a priority for both teams. The DEA Combo were outstanding all weekend, but on this day the stars were aligned for the Alliance and they completed their improbable 8 game back to back death-march by winning both games, going 10-1 on the weekend and notching the tournament victory. OK maybe we exaggerated about the "death march" but Swami did get a nasty sunburn, Coe did puke in the car on the drive home and King George did come down with a heat rash in an undisclosed area of his body ;-)

Many of the players involved in the tournament were very impressed with the efforts of the host team State Razed and tournament director Russ Villalba. The State Razed players took turns watering and dragging fields between games while others on the team manned the director booth and served up beef brisket sandwiches. Many players enjoyed their time away from the fields at the host hotel casino Tachi Palace or simply hanging out at the fields to root for (or against) the other teams. Policesoftball.com highly recommends this tournament for those considering traveling to Central California in 2011.