The America’s Finest City Softball League (AFCSL) threw out the opening pitch of its annual Fall Ball season this weekend at the Poway Sportsplex, with 20 teams competing in the sweltering heat. The abbreviated season will run through November, taking a break Columbus Day weekend when the league will host its annual Autumn Classic Softball Tournament, which draws teams from across the country to compete in six divisions of play.

“This fall marks our fifth year for Fall Ball,” said Martin Cherrier, the marketing director for the AFCSL. “For some, Fall Ball is a time for teams to have fun and enjoy the nice weather and for players to try new positions on the field. For others, Fall Ball allows teams to prepare for the Autumn Classic, which will be marking its 21st anniversary this Oct. 9 and 10.”

In opening week play, Moby Dick’s Trojans, Notarize This, Results Fitness and Viejas Fire all established themselves as the dominant teams in the Open Division, going undefeated. Moby’s defeated John’s Team 26-0 and picked up their second win of the day against The Center Starz, 12-6. Notarize This beat newcomers Golden State Badgers 21-4 and The Center Starz 15-7. Results Fitness had a much closer game against Interactive Male, coming out on top 12-11 and going on to beat the Live and Let Live Alano Club team 19-5. The Viejas Fire posted the largest margin of victory for the day with a 36-4 win against the Golden State Badgers, then squeaked out a 12-11 victory in extra innings against Shameless.

“The Open Division will be splitting into two divisions after the first two weeks,” said Jim Costello, Open Division commissioner. “Unlike the spring league, we don’t lay as many restrictions on the teams in the fall. Most of the C Division teams will pick up a few A or B players. As a result, some of the teams will be much stronger than others. Rather than designate a team in an upper or lower division from the beginning of the season, we want to see how things play out during the first two weeks and then designate the teams afterwards so that play will be more fun in the long haul.”

In the Women’s B Division, Aberration was the top team with a pair of wins. In their first game of the day, Aberration defeated the Ono Sushi Sliders 6-5 and then picked up a 9-5 win over On The Run. In the Women’s C Division, Happy Hour came out on top with a 6-1 win over Six Degrees and a 9-1 win against Clean Sweep.

The AFCSL Fall Ball season will continue this weekend with games starting at 8:30 a.m. at the Poway Sportsplex. For more information on the league or a complete schedule of games, visit www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to the league’s website.