Monday May 17

ORLEANS, ONTARIO- Fastball fans in the National Capital Region and NCAA college scouts will make their way to the fastball diamonds in Orleans on May 21-23 as the top teams from Quebec, Ontario and the United States square off in the 1^st Annual Frank Bender Invitational Girls Fastball Tournament.

Gloucester Mayor Claudette Cain and Frank Bender will officially open the tournament on Saturday by throwing out the opening pitch. 8 teams, consisting of some of the best 19-23 year old fast-pitch softball players, will go head to head in the round robin and single elimination playoffs. Tournament play opens Friday night with the up and coming Orleans Rebels 19under team facing off against a powerful Vermont Rockets team made up entirely of NCAA softball players.

The favored Quebec Provincial team, which closed out the 1998 season by finishing 8^th in Canada, boasts having some hockey "celebrities" on their roster. Kim St-Pierre and Caroline Ouellette are players on the Canadian Women’s National Hockey Team which won Gold at the World Championships in Finland.

Tournament information and schedule can be found on the Orleans Rebels 23under website at: https://members.tripod.com/~JRREBELS