BREAKING: SF girls in championship game Saturday

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The Santa Fe Babe Ruth softball team has pulled out another win, its fifth in the World Series so far.  In a 10 a.m. game against Hamilton, New Jersey, Santa Fe put up five runs and held New Jersey to none.  That win puts the girls into the final championship game on Saturday. 

At 7:30 p.m. tonight, the New Jersey girls will still have another chance to make it to the final game when they play the winner of a another game at noon today between Brusly, Louisiana and Graceland, Indiana.

The winner of the 7:30 p.m. game will face the Santa Fe girls Saturday.

Batters Up! Babe Ruth Softball World Series

Scores of softball players are arriving in the city of Alachua for their shot at the Babe Ruth Softball 12U World Series title, which begins Friday at Alachua City Hall.

Area officers will escort the teams to Camp Kulaqua in High Springs so the teams can meet and enjoy “Friendship Fun Day.” Later Friday, the teams will participate in the Banquet of Champions.

The first game is set for Saturday at 10 a.m., when the Middle Atlantic champion faces the Midwest Plains champion. Four other games will be played Saturday, including the City of Alachua's team, which will play the Pacific Northwest champion at 7 p.m.

The teams of young players will be whittled away, game-by-game, to one champion, with the final showdown set for Saturday, Aug. 14.

In recent months, the city has been renovating Alachua's Hal Brady Recreation Center, including everything from paving the parking lot to adding new fencing, in anticipation of the tournament, which is expected to bring in thousands of family members and fans along with millions of dollars for the local economy.

To host the tournament, cities must pay $40,000 on top of other preparation costs. The costs are actually the responsibility of the host organization, which is the Santa Fe Babe Ruth program.

However, the City of Alachua, the Alachua Chamber of Commerce, the Gainesville Sports Commission, Walmart, Sysco, Dollar General and Santa Fe Ford have committed to provide financial and in-kind support for the tournament.

The city hosted the Bambino World Series – the male version of the Babe Ruth World Series – in 1992, and Alachua was the first city in Florida to host that tournament as well.

The 1992 tournament brought nine teams and thousands of visitors into the city, which filled 10 area hotels.