Things are going to be a little sportier in San Diego this weekend, when the annual Autumn Classic softball tournament takes place Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 9-10, at a number of softball complexes located throughout the San Diego County. In addition to the great competition on the fields, many of the local bars are getting in on the fun with tournament parties throughout the weekend.

“The America’s Finest City Softball League is once again proud to be hosting one of the largest softball tournaments in the country, the 21st Annual Autumn Classic,” said Martin Cherrier, the Autumn Classic tournament’s co-director. “We have exceeded our own expectations and will be playing host to 85 teams.”

The Autumn Classic is one of the last major softball tournaments of the year on the North American Gay Armature Athletics Association (NAGAAA) calendar. As a popular vacation destination, San Diego consistently draws teams from across the country.

“As always, we have a great group of teams from the West Coast,” Cherrier added. “This year we are excited to play host to a team from Toronto and to our hurricane-battered friends from Fort Lauderdale. The caliber of teams this year is top notch and we expect some very competitive games. ”

Tournament play kicks off Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. with games at the Poway Sportsplex, Hourglass Field in Mira Mesa and at Kit Carson Park in Escondido. Each of the participating teams will compete in round-robin play during their first two games of the day. Once all of the games have been completed, they will be seeded into multiple divisions, depending upon their level of play. Teams will then compete in double elimination play for the remainder of the day on Saturday and continue tournament play on Sunday.

“The caliber of teams this year is top notch and we expect some very competitive games,” Cherrier said. “The weekend will culminate with the awards banquet held at Montage, which has generously open their doors just for our event.”

In addition to the tournament awards banquet at Club Montage on Sunday, there will be an opening night party for teams participating in the tournament on Friday, Oct. 8, at Moby Dick’s. On Saturday night, Flicks hosts a tournament party, with shot specials and a wet underwear contest featuring players from the tournament. Bourbon Street will have a pre-awards banquet party for the teams that finish up early on Sunday afternoon.