Pennsbury Tournament to take on different look in Covid world
Suffice it to say when the action begins Thursday morning it will be unlike any other Pennsbury AA Invitational Girls Softball Tournament that has come before.
While this is not necessarily a good thing, it sure beats no softball at all.
Now in its 40th year, the Pennsbury Tournament has 155 teams this year and is set to run from Thursday through Saturday after being postponed back in June because of the coronavirus.
What makes this year different is there will be no champions crowned. Instead, of the normal five pool games and then a single-elimination competition, this year’s teams will each play a double header on the three days for a total of six games.
An even bigger difference is none of the games will be held on the Lower Makefield or Pennsbury School District fields. Instead, it will be held at seven different sites, including fields in Scranton, Pa., Massachusetts and Shamong in Burlington County.
The change of venues was the result of the tournament’s normal fields not being available. This includes the six fields at
Armstrong Park in Ewing and, of course, the Lower Makefield Complex off Edgewood Road.
“Most of the teams were placed at the various sites based on geography,” explained Tournament Director Les Venella.
The way it will work is all the teams in Connecticut and north of that will be in Massachusetts. The New York teams were originally scheduled to be in Binghamton after the postponement, but they are now in Scranton (Pa.).
Other sites include Shamong as well as Valley Forge and Sellersville in Pennsylvania. If you want to see the best action, however, the place to be is at the six-field Helen Randle complex in Newtown, Pa.
“We have what’s sort of power bracket and the better New Jersey and Pennsylvania teams will be in Newtown,” said Vanella.
Among the teams in Newtown will be locals such as the New Jersey Outlaws, the New Jersey Nightmare and Rick Waye’s Rock Gold development teams. The Rock Gold No. 1 team is done for the summer after finishing a very respectable 33rd with a 3-3 record at the recent 73-team loaded up USA Softball Gold Nationals in Oklahoma.
Unfortunately, what will be missing at this year’s Pennsbury tournament is all the
Colorado Los Angeles San Diego Giants Arizona
Tuesday’s games
Minnesota 7, Pittsburgh 3 Cleveland at Cincinnati
St. Louis at Detroit, ppd.
N.Y. Mets at Washington Philadelphia at Miami, ppd. Toronto at Atlanta
Miami at Baltimore Chicago White Sox at Milwaukee Kansas City at Chicago Cubs Giants at Colorado Houston at Arizona
L.A. Dodgers at San Diego
Wednesday’s games W
7 7 7 5 3
L
2 4 4 6 7
Pct
.778 .636 .636 .455 .300
GB
_ 1 1 3 4 1⁄2
St. Louis (TBD) at Detroit (Nova 0-0), ppd., 1st game Philadelphia (Nola 0-1) at N.Y. Yankees (Montgomery 1-0), 4:05 p.m., 1st game teams that normally would have come from states such as California, Arizona, etc.
“It’s certainly not the caliber of normal Pennsbury Tournaments,” agreed Venella. “But at the same time I was shocked at how many teams were able to stay in the tournament (after the postponement from June). We lost 10 teams that would have had to fly in, but otherwise hardly anyone dropped out.
“It’s a shame to have lost the teams from far away, but at the same time it did give us a chance to accept some teams that normally can’t get in the tournament.”
Putting all the coronavirus issues aside, it also made no sense for teams that would have to fly to attend this year’s tournament because the NCAA has ruled most college colleges are banned from recruiting at this time.
On the plus side, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association will be holding its annual clinic at the tournament on Wednesday. At last check, 110 girls had signed up for the clinic and you can be sure there will be plenty of video cameras rolling with recruiting now limited the virtual kind.
It’s far from an ideal situation, but it’s pretty much the only show in town this summer and a much needed chance for the girls to can get in some games.
Miami (TBD) at Baltimore (TBD), 5:05 p.m., 1st game
N.Y. Mets (Porcello 0-1) at Washington (Scherzer 0-1), 6:05 p.m.
Detroit (TBD) at St. Louis (TBD), ppd., 2nd game
Minnesota (Dobnak 1-1) at Pittsburgh (Williams 0-2), 7:05 p.m. Cincinnati (Castillo 0-1) at Cleveland (Clevinger 0-1), 7:10 p.m. Philadelphia (TBD) at Miami (TBD), ppd. Toronto (TBD) at Atlanta (Newcomb 0-0), 7:10 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees (TBD) at Philadelphia (Wheeler 1-0), 7:35 p.m., 2nd game Chicago Cubs (Darvish 1-1) at Kansas City (Bubic 0-1), 8:05 p.m. Milwaukee (Houser 0-0) at Chicago White Sox (Keuchel 2-0), 8:10 p.m. Baltimore (TBD) at Miami (TBD), 8:35 p.m., 2nd game
Giants (TBD) at Colorado (Gray 0-0), 8:40 p.m.
Houston (McCullers Jr. 1-0) at Arizona (Ray 0-2), 9:10 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers (Stripling 2-0) at San Diego (Richards 0-0), 9:10 p.m.