1972 held at Tucson, Arizona.
Champion – Raybestos Brakettes, Stratford, Connecticut (60-6)
Runner Up – Orange Lionettes, Orange, California (78-9)
For the fourth straight year, the Raybestos Brakettes and the Orange Lionettes met in the Championship game. Orange Lionettes won in 1969 and 1970, while the Raybestos Brakettes won last year (1971) and this year (1972).
Donna Lopiano pitched a brilliant game to seal the deal for her MVP Award. The game was scoreless for 8 innings, but in the top of the 9th, the Orange Lionettes scored 2 runs on an RBI single by Mickey Davis and a solo Home Run by Nancy Ito.
Welborn took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning, only to see the Raybestos Brakettes come through and score three runs to win. After Cece Ponce walked, Pat Harrison bombed a 2-run homer into the left field bleachers to tie the score at two. Later in the inning, Willie Roze (5-15, .333 average in the tournament) came through with the game winning double to win the title.
Lopiano gave up four hits and struck out 4.
Losing pitcher Nancy Welborn scattered 9 hits and struck out 2.
Marilyn Harris of Pekin Lettes was 6-13 .462 and did not have enough at bats to qualify for the batting title.
Fern Gardner of Salt Lake City Shamrocks 3-1.
- MVP – Donna Lopiano, Raybestos Brakettes
- HR Leader – Marjorie Drew, Waltham Drifters – 2
- Batting Leader – Carol Spanks, Orange Lionettes – .417
- Bertha Tickey Pitching MVP Award – Nancy Welborn, Orange Lionettes
- Erv Lind Award Defensive MVP – Chris “Pettina” Miner, Fresno Rockets
FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICANS
P – Joan Joyce, Raybestos Brakettes (3-0, 32K/21 IP, 1 ER and 6-18, .333 average, 2 RBI at the plate)
P – Donna Lopiano, Raybestos Brakettes (3-0, 20 Ks/23 IP, 2 ER, no-hitter, pitched 3-2, 9 inning final; .7-21, .333 average, 6 RBI, 1 Run, Grand Slam HR batting)
P – Nancy Welborn, Orange Lionettes (6-2, 3 shutouts, 34 K, 59 IP, 8 ER in 8 games)
C – Nancy Ito, Orange Lionettes
C – Paula Boulette, Waltham Drifters
1B – Marge Drew, Waltham Drifters
2B – Rose Marie “Rosie” Adams, Raybestos Brakettes
3B – Sue Sims, Orange Lionettes
SS – Chris “Pettina” Miner, Fresno Rockets (6-13) – .462 – not enough at bats to qualify for batting title
OF – Mary Lou Adams, Orange Lionettes
OF – Sheila Patterson, Fresno Rockets
OF – Carol Greene, Waltham Drifters
OF – Willie Roze, Raybestos Brakettes
UTIL – Carol Spanks, Orange Lionettes (10-24, .417, 5 RBI)
SECOND TEAM ALL-AMERICANS
P – Cathy Benedetto, Portland Lee Nuggets (3-2, 33 IP, 32 K)
P – Joyce Bak, Waltham Drifters (3-1)
P – Pat Whitman, Rising Sun Wanderers
C – Marta Aardema, Utah Shamrocks
C – Sherron Bredeen, Portland Lee Nuggets
1B – Shirley Topley, Orange Lionettes
2B – Joan Paulson, Rimnac-Hanson
3B – Rosemarie Derer, Rising Sun Wanderers
SS – Phyllis Shaak, Rising Sun Wanderers
OF – Nancy Snyder, Portland Lee Nuggets
OF – Gloria Helms, Fresno Rockets
OF – Mickey Davis, Orange Lionettes
OF – Cecilia Ponce, Raybestos Brakettes
UTIL – Jody Schwick, Utah Shamrocks
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Raybestos Brakettes, Stratford, CT (6-0) (Defending Champ)
2. Orange Lionettes, Orange, CA (6-2) (South Pacific Coast)
3. Fresno Rockets, Fresno, CA (3-2) (North Pacific Coast)
4. Dave Lee Golden Nuggets, Portland, OR (3-2) (Northwestern)
5t. Manero’s Walthem Drifters, Waltham, MA (4-2) (New England)
5t. Rising Sun Wanderers, Telford, PA (2-2) (Central Atlantic)
7t. Utah Shamrocks Salt Lake City, UT (2-2) (Rocky Mountain)
7t. Rimnac-Hanson Benjos, Bloomington, MN (2-2) (Northern)
9t. Lorelei Ladies, Atlanta, GA (1-2) (South Atlantic)
9t. Pekin-Lettes, Pekin, IL (1-2) (West Central)
9t. Orlando Rebels, Orlando, FL (1-2) (Southern)
9t. Ed Meir Ford Mustangs, Memphis, TN (1-2) (Southwestern
13t. Detroit Metros, Detroit, MI (1-2) (East Central)
13t. JFK Patriettes, Omaha-Wahoo, NE (1-2) (Western)
13t. Sun City Saints, Sun City, CA (0-2) (Cactus)
13t. Shamrocks, North Tonawanda, NY (0-2) (Mid Atlantic)
17t. Tucson Roadrunners, Tucson, AZ (0-2) (Host)
17t. Chargers, Freeport, TX (0-2) (Texas)
NOTES
Alaska Champ – Alaska 49ers, Anchorage, AK did not attend. Canada Champ – Vancouver Green & Louie, Vancouver, BC did not attend.
