It was a great weekend for men’s fastpitch as two major tournaments took over the diamonds, delivering elite pitching duels, massive home runs, and bracket-busting drama across North America. From the Pacific Northwest to the heart of Ontario, the diamonds were absolutely electric.
Here is how the action unfolded:
The Battle of Washington: 64th Seattle Invitational
Out west in Fife, Washington, Dacca Park played host to the historic 64th Seattle Invitational. With an official berth to the 2027 ISC World Tournament in Saskatoon on the line, the stakes were high right from the opening pitch.
Saturday’s round-robin action set a fierce tone. The River Kings from Prince George, BC, looked dominant early, marching through Pool B with a string of high-scoring wins, including an 8-0 shutout against the Lacey A’s and a gritty 8-0 victory over the Westside Jacks. Meanwhile, the Bremerton K-Club quietly staked their claim at the top of Pool A, capping off their Saturday with a 1-0 shutout against the Seattle Dirtdogs in their 6PM match up.
When Sunday’s single-elimination bracket kicked off, the tension spiked. The Northstars from Vancouver pulled off a thrilling 2-1 quarterfinal upset over the Grass Valley Greens to earn a shot at the top seed. However, K-Club’s offense and defense proved too tough, shutting down the Northstars 4-1 to secure the first slot in the championship game.
On the bottom half of the bracket, Seattle’s own Interbay Door caught fire. After blanking the Lacey A’s 4-0 in the quarterfinals, they pulled off the upset of the day by blanking the red-hot River Kings 4-0 in the semifinals. The bracket set up a dream, all-Washington championship finale between Bremerton’s K-Club and Seattle’s Interbay Door to see who would claim the ultimate bragging rights.
In the final the Interbay Door proved their worth by beating K-Club in an amazing final 2-1.
MVP of the tournament was Kevin Rasmussen, while Jorge Segura took home the Most Valuable Pitcher award.
Congrats to Interbay Door for winning the 64th Seattle Invitational.
Clash of the Titans: The Cephas Roth Memorial
Meanwhile, in Tavistock, Ontario, the Cephas Roth Memorial brought together the absolute heavyweight royalty of the ISC circuit. It wasn’t a qualifier, but you wouldn’t know it from the intensity on display.
Friday Night Lights & No-Hitters
The tournament opened with an absolute statement from the Hill United Chiefs, as Marco Diaz spun a flawless no-hitter to overpower the Ohsweken Redmen 12-0. JDT First Energy and the NorthEast Drillers also picked up dominant early wins, setting the stage for the night caps. The Bear Creek Gremlins made their presence felt early, handing the Chiefs a 5-2 loss thanks to a stellar pitching performance by Jack Besgrove. As the lights came up, the Toronto Batmen cruised past the Waterdown Hammer 6-1, and the Gremlins kept rolling with a tight 2-0 shutout over JDT behind Kuba Osička’s gems from the circle.
Saturday’s Grind
Saturday morning brought one of the most remarkable pitching duels of the weekend. The East Hants Mastodons and Ohsweken Redmen battled to a rare 0-0 tie, highlighted by a rare no-hitter, no win from the Mastodons’ David Watson.
As the day progressed, the offenses finally woke up. Bear Creek Express put on a clinic, dismantling the Batmen 8-1 before exploding later in the afternoon for a 13-6 slugfest victory over the Waterdown Hammer. JDT First Energy managed to edge out the Hill United Chiefs 1-0 in a classic nail-biter, while the NorthEast Drillers showed their teeth with a 12-0 statement shutout over the Chippewa Chiefs. By the time Saturday night wrapped up—featuring a 5-0 shutout by Roman Godoy and the Batmen—the playoff grid was locked.
Championship Sunday Drama
Sunday morning started with pure heartbreak and heroism in the quarterfinals. JDT First Energy’s Pami Madzulukwa put on a fantastic performance, racking up an astonishing 18 strikeouts. But in fastpitch, one mistake can cost you; the Toronto Batmen manufactured a single run, and Roman Godoy secured a 1-0 shutout to send the Batmen through despite Madzulukwa’s historic effort. In the other quarterfinal, Marco Diaz again proved to be a force, pitching the Hill United Chiefs to a 4-0 shutout over Bear Creek Express.
In the semifinals, the heavy favorites flexed their muscles. The Bear Creek Gremlins dismantled the Chiefs 7-1 behind Jack Besgrove, while the NorthEast Drillers punched their ticket to the finals by blanking the Batmen 8-0 behind some excellent pitching of Matias Etchevers.
The Grand Finale
The championship game between the Drillers and the Gremlins lived up to every bit of the hype. Where the Drillers had a homerun by Reilly Makea, the Gremlins’ offense simply had too much firepower. Erick Ochoa cleared the fences with a home run of his own, and Ben Enoka put on an absolute masterclass. Enoka drove in 4 RBIs, including a homerun and triple.
On the rubber, the duo of Kuba Osička and Jack Besgrove slammed the door on the Drillers’ comeback hopes, securing a 6-3 victory.
When the dust settled, Ben Enoka was rightfully named the Tournament MVP, and the Bear Creek Gremlins officially raised the trophy as the 2026 Cephas Roth Memorial Champions!
With this weekend wrapped up, we are looking forward to next weekends tournaments in Ashland, OH (2026 Ashland Invitational) and Yellowknife, NT (2026 Northwestern Invitational Fastball Championships).
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE MISSED IT!! The 2026 ISC World Tournament schedule is LIVE! Go check it out today on the tournament page.
