COLUMBUS, OHIO - LOTA SOFTBALL left no doubt as to who the top team in SPA 80 WORLDS was AUGUST 5-8 at COLUMBUS, OHIO BERLINER FIELDS.
LOTA, short for LOUISIANA, OKLAHOMA, TEXAS, ARKANSAS the states they are from, not only went 6-0 in the 12-team two division brackets but beat all the top teams.
In addition to beating all the teams in the 80 GOLD group in bracket play they downed FIRST, RUNNER-UP and FOURTH place finisher from the SILVER bracket.
However, it wasn't a cake walk for LOTA as they only won by 65-57 in five of the games for a two-run margin difference..but who cares it only takes one run.
in pool play LOTA beat SILVER DIVISION fourth place CHICAGO GEEZERS 13-12, runner-up PRO HEALTH CARE 15-4 and SILVER CHAMP PEACH TREE RESTAURANT 16-15.
In the 80 GOLD BRACKET double-elimination LOTA beat PFEIFFER AUTO twice 12-10, 14-11 and HAMEL BUILDERS 10-9.
By winning the SPA 2019 80 WORLDS they are now the only 80 team which has won both the 80 WORLDS and the 80 WORLD SERIES (2018 Dalton).
Individual awards earned by LOTA : SPA 2019 GOLD 80 MANAGER OF THE YEAR DON HARRIS and TOURNAMENT MVP LENNY YAFFE.
Named to the tournament ALL-AMERICAN TEAM were ELDEN BRAST, DON HARRIS, ROBERT BRAKER, EDDIE GLOVER and ROSCOE SMITH.
Other members of the 2019 SPA 80 GOLD WORLD CHAMPIONS LOTA SOFTBALL are:
ROBERT BUISSON., RON FORTE, ED HARDY, JOE HOUSLEY, HARLAN JENSEN, ED PETLAK, FERRELL ROTON, MARLYN SCHROEPFER, JESSE SMITH, DON SWIFT and F.JAMES TINELLI..