Power displayed on opening day

Free Press Staff
NORTH MANKATO ‹ Brian Faber, Albert Garcia, Louis Orepeza, Mike Mueller and
Lon Anderson each smacked home runs Thursday, helping their respective teams
to first-round wins in the North American Fastpitch Association Class
A-Major Men's National Tournament at Caswell Park.
DC Current's Mike Huppert (3) is too late sliding into second as Buss Sports
shortstop Darrell Ziegler relays the ball to first base. Buss Sports returns
to action at 9:45 a.m. today in the second round of the NAFA Class A-Major
Men's Fastpitch Tournament at Caswell Park.

Faber's blast helped Northwest Iowa Athletics to a 9-2 triumph over Suburban
Insulation of Michigan in a pigtail game to start the tournament. NW Iowa
Athletics was not as fortunate in the next round at it came out on the short
end of a 4-2 score to Rudd Trophy of Illinois.

Garcia and Orepeza had homers in a 4-3 victory for KC Indios of Kansas over
Cary's Trucking of Michigan. Mueller and Anderson did the same for the
Scarlett's of South Dakota as it defeated SI Bud Blues of Illinois 10-1.
Brian Rohlfs tossed a three-hitter for the win.

John's Plumbing of Nebraska downed Odin Fastpitch of Minnesota 9-1 behind
the two-hit pitching of Nate Jasa. The only shutout of the first round was
delivered by Ricola of New Jersey which defeated Blues of Michigan 7-0.

In other first-round action Thursday, the Indiana Lawmen knocked off Aqua
Specialists of Pennsylvania 4-3; A-1 Tank of California edged Cero Gordo
from Dawson, Minn., 8-7; LX of Wisconsin downed Piper Lake Club of Kansas
6-2; Berkenpas Construction of Michigan slipped past Johnny Saloon of St.
Charles, Minn., 3-2; and the Duncan Outlaws of Indiana downed Elkland
Fastpitch of Pennsylavnia 5-2.

In other games, PJ's II of Bingham Lake, Minn. defeated the Portage Phillies
from Manitoba 4-2; the KC Gamblers of Kansas edged Communiquest of Michigan
6-4; the Rice Lake Orangemen of Wisconsin beat Home Federal of Nebraska 5-2;
Graff Pepsi of Missouri rolled over Thomson Area Merchants of Illinois 7-1;
Buss Sports of Vernon Center, Minn. outlasted DC Curren of Indiana 12-11;
and Village Inn of Wisconsin nicked Health Tech from Colorado 2-1.

Used with the permission from The Free Press, Mankato, Minnesota
(August 19, 2005).