Sixteen teams will face off today and Saturday, upping the ante with each meet.
By TERRY JONES
Published March 26, 2004
BRANDON - Some of the top softball teams in Florida are scheduled to compete in the 2004 Jon Sinclair Memorial Spring Fling Invitational Softball Tournament today and Saturday at J.C. Handley Field.
Bloomingdale, Academy of the Holy Names, Chamberlain, Countryside and River Ridge are all highly ranked in the state standings but will meet some tough competition. The first round begins at noon today, when River Ridge meets Plant.
Bloomingdale, ranked No. 2 in Class 6A, will take on Class 3A's top team, Academy of the Holy Names, at 2 p.m., while defending state 5A champion Chamberlain will face off with once-beaten Armwood on another field. Undefeated Countryside plays Brandon at 4.
The rest of the field includes Riverview, Sarasota Riverview, Robinson, King, Alonso, Ocala Forest, East Bay and Marianna. All 16 teams will play at least three games.
Saturday's games start at 8 a.m. with the finals set to begin at 6 p.m.
River Ridge and Plant would enter as favorites to make the finals in the top bracket, but they meet in the first game of the tournament.
In the bottom eight-team bracket, Bloomingdale, Academy of the Holy Names, Chamberlain and Countryside come in as favorites to make it to the championship game.
"There are some good teams in this tournament," Bloomingdale coach Mike Clamon said. "If we're fortunate enough to get by Academy, we'll have to face Chamberlain. The winner of that game will have to face undefeated Countryside in the semifinals. But that's what it is all about. If you don't play better teams, you don't get better."
Even though undefeated, Countryside is not ranked in the Class 5A Top 10. if the Cougars win their opener, they would have less than two hours to rest before facing off with the winner of the East Bay-Marianna game.
Assuming Countryside wins twice today, it would probably face Bloomingdale, Academy or Chamberlain at noon Saturday for a shot at the title game.
2004 JON SINCLAIR MEMORIAL SPRING FLING INVITATIONAL SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
WHEN: today and Saturday
WHERE: J.C. Handley Field
TICKETS: $5 per person per day
TIMES: Three games simultaneously every two hours, beginning at noon today and 8 a.m. Saturday. Semifinals begin at 4 p.m. Saturday with the finals at 6.
