All in a weekend on the diamond 

pays off for two Locals on and off the field.Roanoke Rapids 
resident Lee Powers and Lake Gaston resident Ty “Hoss Cat” 
Johnston were in Florida over the weekend for the 2014 
Nationwide Conference USSSA Championship slow pitch 
softball tournament and Conference banquet. 

Both play professional men's slow-pitch softball, Powers 
plays for Resmondo-Specialty Tank/Worth while Johnston 
plays for Backman/Shoppe/Louisville Sluggers.

Powers was selected as the Conference offensive MVP along 
with earning the Silver Bat award for tying as the top 
home-run hitter in the conference with 102 home-runs in 
the regular season. Johnston earned the Merritt Award for 
his outstanding play on and off the field.

Powers and his team continued their winning way by not 
only finishing as number one in the conference, but they 
finished the weekend off by winning the  2014 Nationwide 
Conference USSSA Championship at Osceola County stadium. 

The win earned them the #1 seed for the Major World Series 
starting September 12 at the ESPN Worldwide of Sports complex 
in Kissimmee Florida. This #1 seed means they will be home 
team in every game they play in the World Series. Johnston 
and his team Backmon/Shoppe will also made it to the World 
Series tournamnet as well.