BY SARAH DOSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Even experienced teams get nervous for big tournaments.
Freeze Concrete, playing in the Cincinnati Metro Softball Tournament's Major Division, was no exception Sunday afternoon. After trailing 7-1 after the third inning, its experience finally took over. Freeze scored 25 runs in the next four innings en route to a 26-10 win over Jeff Pohlman Tire.
"We have a couple new, young players," coach Todd Sledge said. "Also we had to wait two days to play our first-round game. There were some nerves working early on in the game."
Sledge said this was the team's second year under its sponsor, but six of the players had played together the last four years, giving the team a strong nucleus. Freeze Concrete's record is 60-15.
This year Freeze Concrete is ranked third in Cincinnati, fifth in the state and ninth in the world. It has qualified for the NSSSA World Tournament in Texas in September. Freeze Concrete plays in a league on Thursdays at Expressway Park.
Freeze's experience gave it an advantage over first-year team Jeff Pohlman Tire.
"They had some good defensive players," Jeff Pohlman Tire coach Arthur Smith said. "They held our top players down by pitching them tight. We didn't hit with them."
Jeff Pohlman Tire plays at both the Major and A Divisions. The team decided to play in the Major Division at the Met because of the home-run rule: Teams are allowed 12 home runs a game in the Major Division, but only six in the A Division.
Jeff Pohlman Tire is 7-4 in Major Division competition and 5-1 in A competition.
Sledge said Freeze Concrete has won nine tournaments this season, but the Met was the team's first ASA tournament of the year.
"This is the title to shoot for every year," said Sledge, whose team finished sixth last year. "We have to play bigger teams with more power."
