LAKE PARK —
The 16th annual Battle of the Border softball tournament begins today at South Lowndes Recreation Complex in Lake Park.
The tournament features 20 teams from throughout Georgia and Florida competing in a double-elimination tournament.
The two-day tournament begins this morning at 9 a.m.
Normally held in April, this year’s Battle of the Border event was moved to July. And after a hiatus of the event last year, tournament organizers are hoping to bring back the “old school” style of the event by capping the number of the teams that can enter the tournament at 20.
“We dropped it down to 20 teams and let them fight out,” said Dereck Willis.
“With the economy, we just aren’t going to get 80 to 100 teams like we used to, so we dropped it to 20 and we are going to let them battle it out.”
Teams from Georgia are hoping that the result of this year’s event doesn’t have the same outcome as the “old school” events, an outcome that saw Florida teams winning the championship many times. If anything, Georgia teams are hoping for the same outcome as 2010, when a Peach State team won the title.
Regardless of what state or team wins the championship, the level of the 20 teams in the event is high, and every team will have to “bring it” if they want to claim the championship.
“The teams, from top to bottom, are all very good teams,” Willis said. “You aren’t going to have an easy game. So if you don’t hit the ball, you will be going home.”
The tournament will also help benefit the local community.
Tournament participants and fans are encouraged to bring canned food items for donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank.
Along with the canned food drive, the economic impact of a 20-team tournament will also be huge, as non-local participants will eat, sleep and shop within the Lowndes County community.
“The good thing about the tournament for the community is that these guys are going to come here and stay for the weekend,” Willis said. “They are going to stay at our hotels and take their wives with them. So it is a great economic impact for our community.”
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