By Travis Mounts, TSnews
The second annual SummerBall Showdown is underway at the Genesis Sports Complex in Goddard, with 20 teams taking part this year.
Blind draw games started Wednesday, with 10 games on the schedule. Ten more games are happening this Thursday.
Those results will determine the rest of the schedule for Friday through Sunday. There will be four play-in games early Friday afternoon, which will then round out a 16-team single-elimination bracket. The round-of-16 games also will be played on Friday, in the afternoon and evening. Games will take place on four different fields.
Saturday will feature four games on four fields, but with starting times an hour apart. Games will be at 6, 7, 8 and 9 p.m.
The tournament concludes on Sunday. Both semifinal games will begin at 2 p.m., with the championship set for 7 p.m. Sunday.
Goddard’s Kansas Curve is in the field along with a number of Kansas-based teams. Both the Kansas Collegiate League Baseball and Sunflower Collegiate League are well-represented in the field.
The Curve played at 7 p.m. Wednesday against the ICT Avengers. The Curve will play at 4 p.m. Thursday, taking on the Newton Sluggin’ Rebels.
Other Kansas teams include the McPherson Pipeliners, Wellington Heat, El Dorado Walnuts, 316 Baseball, Valley Center Mud Daubers, Dirtbag Baseball, Wichita Black Sox, Great Bend Bat Cats and Midwest Moos.
The U.S. Military WarDogs team is returning, and there are teams from a number of other states. Multiple activities are planned each night, including a fundraising corn hole tournament on two different nights. Friday includes a tribute game with the WarDogs, plus a home run derby and fireworks after the games.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. Results and bracket updates can be found at www.summerballshowdown.com.
