The champion El Salvador team with their trophy. (Photo courtesy of El Salvador Softball Federation)

EL SALVADOR CLAIMS 1ST C.A. MASTERS EVENT
2009-02-27

The sport of softball has again demonstrated its universality.

A game that is played worldwide by men, women, boys, girls, and even seniors, softball has grown to where there are disciplines ranging from fast pitch, slow pitch, and modified pitch, to even arena (indoor) softball, wheelchair softball, and beach softball.

Men’s and slow pitch were the type on display this past weekend in Estelí, Nicaragua, where the first Central American Softball Master in Slow Pitch was played.

El Salvador posted a 9-2 victory over Guatemala to claim the title. The host country, Nicaragua, finished third with Costa Rica coming in fourth place. Hosted by the Softball Association of Estelí and endorsed by the Central American Softball Confederation, the tournament is expected to become an annual competition, with plans already in place for the second edition next February (2010) in El Salvador, where another country, Honduras, is also expected to take part. The event is for participants age 50-and-older and this year’s winners completed play with a 4-2 won-lost record.

That same age range will provide the make-up of the Senior World Cup, which is just over three months away (June 12-14 in Salem, Virginia, USA) and goes up to a division of age 70-and-over. That tournament includes women’s teams also.

The veteran softballers will also be active this year in Australia when Sydney hosts the World Masters Games from October 10-18, when softball is expected to again be one of the biggest sports on the programme in terms of participation. Those (male and female) athletes are required to be age 35 or older. Fast pitch is the discipline featured at that event.