America’s Finest City Softball League’s (AFCSL) Aberration team won the gold medal in the women’s B Division at Gay Games with a win over the San Francisco Pilsner Panthers on July 21, while California Mix – composed of players hailing from San Diego, San Francisco and Long Beach – won the gold medal in the women’s A Division.

During double-elimination play, Aberra-tion beat the Chicago Swingers 13-1, San Diego’s Betty’s Blue Moon 8-3, and then slipped past Chicago Nubians 7-6 and Pilsner Panthers 6-5.

After going 7-0, Aberration lost 14-6 to the Pilsner Panthers during the first gold medal game. Since it was their only loss of the tournament and the Pilsner Panthers previously lost to Aberration, another game was played to determine the gold medal winner. Aberration came out with their bats firing for a 19-9 win.

“Everyone contributed with clutch hitting or big defensive plays,” team manager Sherry Abney said.

Right centerfielder Amy Berman led Aberration in batting average. Leftfielder and team coach Leean Couch led all players in total runs batted in (RBIs).

During women’s A Division play, California Mix beat the DaMN Roadies twice to earn the gold medal during double-elimination play. Since the DaMN Roadies were undefeated going into the final, California Mix had to beat them twice to secure the gold. In the first game, California Mix won 8-6 and then clinched the gold medal with an easy 18-6 victory.

“We were the underdogs,” said California Mix team member Gina Oliver. “We were expected to contend but not really win the whole thing.”

California Mix lost just one game en route to the championship. They lost to DaMN Roadies the first time they faced the team.

The San Diego Sharks won the gold medal in the Recreational division with a 27-12 win over the Michigan Panthers in the finals. San Diego American Flag Football founder Ivan Solis said many of the original league-founding players banded together to bring home the gold.

Led by quarterback Jorge Lopez and San Diego’s national flag football representative, Mike Jazmin, the Sharks climbed back from a deficit to claim the gold.

“We went into the tournament just to have a great time amongst thousands of gay brothers and sisters from around the world, but we concluded with no better group of guys deserving flag football’s top medal,” Solis said.

The Sharks went 5-1 throughout the tournament. On July 17, the Sharks lost 25-7 to Boston Two, but came right back in the next game with a close 25-24 win over the Michigan Panthers. The next day, the Sharks obliterated the Chicago Spin 34-7 and then slipped past the Chicago Crushers 20-19. On July 19, they beat the Crushers again, 25-13, to reach the gold medal game.

San Diego plans to send one team to Gay Bowl VI, which will take place in Dallas, Texas, during Columbus Day weekend, Oct. 6-8.

Team San Diego won the gold medal in the women’s A Division with a 25-20, 25-15 win over San Francisco Fusion, the defending champions from the Sydney Gay Games, on July 21. Team San Diego – composed of Darcy Frandsen, Judy Hissong, Susan Brondell, Linda McLellan, Lisa Mealer-Burke and Marla Goodman – went undefeated throughout the tournament, winning nine matches over the course of five days.

“We are an experienced group of volleyball players that really came together as a team because we were having so much fun on and off the court,” Hissong said.

San Diegans Bryan Leigh, James McDermott and Brian Jackson played for the Boston Boys team in the first-ever 35-plus men’s division and came away with a bronze medal. After losing 50-29 to Old Dawgs Same Tricks in the semifinals, Boston Boys beat ChiBoyz 48-26 to earn the third place and the bronze medal.