After making it through a weekend of games undefeated, a group of local female softball players claimed a state title and won the chance to represent Pennsylvania at a national tournament in September.
The 15 players on Tom’s Bar team in the Norristown Area Softball League won the Class D State Championship in the Women’s Amateur Softball Association July 26.
The ASA tournament brought together 27 teams from throughout Pennsylvania to State College for two days of games; Tom’s Bar won three games on Saturday and two the following day, although the final match-up was rained out.
Throughout the state tournament, the team got 88 hits and 55 runs, allowing just 13 runs against them. And Tom’s won all of the games by a wide margin, boasting final scores like 13-3, 11-0 and 12-5.
The team — which is currently third in its division of the Norristown league with an 9-7 record this season — draws a diverse group of women from the metropolitan Philadelphia area, said coach Susan Wenrick.
The players, who range in age from 23-50, hail from Philadelphia, Montgomery and Delaware counties and play up to twice a week from May through August.
Wenrick joked that she’s in the “far minority” on the team, as one of only a few heterosexuals.
The team has been in existence for more than 10 years, and she said the close ties the women have developed contributed to their success.
“It’s a really good team,” Wenrick said. “There’s a core group of players that have stuck with it. Each year we’ve added one or two people if players leave, but they’ve developed such a family atmosphere and support each other both on and off the field. They’re a real cohesive group.”
The team, which is sponsored by Tom’s Bar in Royersford and BTC Foods Inc. in Philadelphia, will head to Columbus, Ohio, for the Sept. 3-6 ASA national tournament.
Wenrick said the team follows a mantra all season that she hopes will ensure a win at nationals.
“We have three goals that we play by: The first is just to have fun. The second is to win the inning. And the third is to play up to our potential. That’s what I want us to do out there.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].