01:00 AM EDT on Friday, July 9, 2004

Softball fans will be treated to some top-notch competition this weekend, as the American Softball Association 16-and-under New England Regional Tournament will take place at three different fields in Swansea and Somerset.

The tournament will feature 20 teams from throughout New England, seven from Massachusetts, four each from Maine and New Hampshire, three from Connecticut and two from Rhode Island. The top two finishers will earn a spot in the ASA National Championships to be held later this summer in Texas.

There are two local teams entered in the tourney. They are the East Coast Eclipse, coached by Swansea's Mario Andreozzi, and the Swansea Muddogs, coached by D.J. Machado.

The action begins this afternoon with a 4:15 game at the Hoyle School Complex in Swansea. There will also be games played at O'Neil Field in Somerset at 5 and 7 p.m. The action continues at 8 a.m. tomorrow at these locations and at the Brown School in Swansea. Eight teams will remain for Sunday's games, which again kick off at 8 a.m.

The Mass Fusion , an 18-and-under fast-pitch softball team featuring talent from local high school squads, will be making a trip to Raleigh, N.C., later this month, after earning a berth in the PONY National Championships.

The Fusion qualified for the nationals by capturing first place in the Franklin Lightning Classic Tournament recently. That tourney title came in the third of seven tournaments the Fusion will compete in this summer. The team just returned from a high profile tourney in Carlisle, Pa. "We saw some very strong teams down there," said coach Steve Hyland, of Swansea.

Next weekend, the Fusion hosts its own eight-team affair. That two-day tourney, which will feature some of the region's top squads, including the Connecticut Charmers, a perennial power in the Nutmeg State, will take place in Rochester at the Dexter Lane Fields, beginning on Saturday, July 17.

From there, it's off to North Carolina, where the squad will first take part in a two-day prenationals warm-up event. The PONY Nationals then take place from July 26-30.

The Fusion lineup boasts four starters from the Division 1 state champion B.M.C. Durfee High School squad. Other locals include Case High School's Jessalyn Hyland and Stacy Torres, as well as Bishop Stang's Seana Golden, of Somerset. Hyland, Golden and Foxboro's Sarah Hanley make up the Fusion pitching staff.

At the Franklin Tournament, the Fusion went undefeated to take the title. The locals polished off the championship crown by beating the Albany (N.Y.) Slik Chix in the finals. Hyland was the winning pitcher, while former Durfee star Tina Mitsis had two triples, two doubles and six runs batted in.

In reaching the championship game, the Fusion first knocked off host Franklin and then came out on top of a tight 3-2 affair against the Mass Firecrackers. That game ended on a play at the plate, with the Fusion cutting down the would-be tying run. In the semifinals the Fusion rode a shutout performance from Golden to a 3-0 victory over the Mass Drifters.

While the Fall River Youth Soccer Association's under-19 boys' squad capturing the league's first-ever Massachusetts Tournament of Champions title was the big story, two other FRYSA teams also took part in the tournament, finishing off what were outstanding seasons for both.

Both teams, the under-13 girls and the under-16 boys, had to battle the age factor. The girls took part in the under-14 tourney, as the event features only even-numbered age groups. the girls, qualifying for the tournament was a continuation of their recent success. It marked the third straight year that the team had won the regular season Southern Conference crown. Fall River is 29-1-4 in that stretch. "That's quite a feat itself," said coach Chris Frank.

Two years ago, the Fall River girls were the Cinderella team, making their way to the final day, semifinal round in their first appearance at the tournament. The squad hasn't managed to reach the final two rounds the past two seasons. The team has performed admirably in both instances however. This year, Fall River played to a pair of ties and suffered a one-goal loss.

"We're satisfied with the results because we're playing in an older age group," said Frank. "They represented the city of Fall River well. They're not only good players but they're very nice kids."

The boys side, after losing several key players to the local Massachusetts Premier League team, was made up mostly of 15-year-olds. The age deficit was coupled with a size disadvantage. Coach Dino Pavao said both could have been overcome, but the team needed to stick to its signature passing style, something the coach said the squad got away from.

"A lot of the guys we played were big. The one-year difference was obvious up there," said Pavao. "I'm proud of the kids but there wasn't enough passing. That's what was missing. If you don't pass the ball, you don't have a chance against those kids."

Fall River opened with a scoreless tie, then dropped a tight 2-1 contest. The locals prevailed in their final outing, 1-0. Goalie Andrew Sousa posted a pair of shutouts, while midfielder Scott Faria tallied both Fall River goals, one on a penalty kick, the other off a rebound.

Pavao says next year looks promising, as the team, which features a host of players who play together on the Durfee junior varsity squad, will return mostly intact. Also, the success of the under-19 team, which featured some of the stars of the Durfee varsity, did not go unnoticed.

"When they found out (the under-19 boys) won the tournament, they got pumped," said Pavao. "Next year, with a little work as a team, we have a chance. The teams up there aren't any better than us."

The long quest for a berth in the PONY Baseball World Series begins this weekend for a couple of local leagues, when the Swansea Independent Baseball League's Mustang All-Stars (9- and 10-year-olds) travel to Woonsocket, R.I., to take part in a best-of-three series for the West District Championship. A victory there would earn the SIBL squad a spot in next week's New England Sectionals, to be held in Manchester, N.H.

Also next week, SIBL will host the Bronco Division (11- and 12-year-olds) New England Sectional Tournament at its Nike Site playing complex. Among the entries in that tourney will be Fall River's Maplewood Park All-Stars. The Maplewood Park Mustangs have a bye until the North Region Tournament, which they will host July 23-25.

Sportswriter Brad Silva teaches business at B.M.C. Durfee High School. His e-mail address is BradSilvaAtcomcast.net