If you haven’t already done so, registration and league fees ($225) for the 2023 season are due by April 14th. Payments can be sent to:

Dalbo Area Ministerial Softball League
36762 Palm St NW
Stanchfield, MN 55080

Three rule changes were made at the annual league meeting on Sunday, March 5th. Here’s what you need to know…

1. Minimum Pitch Height
   • We are changing the minimum pitching height from 3ft from release to 6ft minimum. What this means: Once the ball is released from the pitcher’s hand, it must reach height of at least 6-feet from the ground. This is to eliminate “flat” pitches. There will continue to NOT be a max on height.
2. 180 Foot Rule
   • We are also updating the 180′ rule to state teams must have 4 outfielders behind the 180′ line and. This means that no rovers are allowed (even if the rover is female), and no 5 person infield can be played while a female batter is up.
3. Time Limit for Shared Fields
   • If you are playing on a lit field and there is a 2nd game scheduled after you, the time limit is 90 minutes (7:00 PM to 8:30 PM). This limit must be followed to accommodate both games.

Division 3 has nine teams, so 8th seed Refuge 2 had a play-in game just to get to the traditional first round. They won the play-in game, knocked off the top seed, and never looked back as they won the first place. Third seed Dale was upset in the first round, but then battled back all the way back to play for the championship as they won 2nd place. Sixth seed Cross Pointe 3 won third place.

Top seed Refuge 1 entered the tournament with a perfect 14-0 record and won each game by an average of almost 13 runs. On Saturday, they were forced to play shorthanded and were knocked into the loser’s bracket by fifth seed Karmel 2. Refuge 1 fought all the way back to face Karmel 2 for the championship on Sunday. Refuge 1 took the first game from Karmel 2, forcing a 3rd meeting between the two teams. Karmel 2 showed that their win the previous day was no fluke by defeating Refuge 1 a second time for the championship. Third seed Cambridge Lutheran’s only losses were to the top 2 teams as they also had a great tournament run to finish 3rd.

After finishing 2nd last year, 3rd seed ROC was on a mission this year and went undefeated in the tournament to win the championship. They defeated top seed Karmel 1 in the championship game. Cross Pointe 1 rebounded from a close loss in the opening round to win 3 straight games en route to 3rd place.

Division 1

Division 2

Division 3

Despite steady rain throughout the day, fun was had by all at the 2022 youth tournament. In the end, top seeded Dale defeated perennial contender North Isanti Baptist Red to claim the championship. Karmel-Oxlip and Cross Pointe Miller also had great runs to win 3rd and 4th place, respectively.

Closed circuit to youth coaches, parents, and players: Oxlip and Karmel are merging youth teams for the remainder of the season, and as such, we had to update the schedule. Please note that if you previously had a bye week scheduled, that is no longer the case with an even number of teams. The schedule is updated here on the website. If you have any questions, please reach out to Allen. Thanks!

Each year, Salem Lutheran Church hosts a one pitch tournament right before the DAMSL season starts. What makes the one pitch tournament unique is that every at bat is only one pitch, period. You either hit the ball into play, take a ball (which is a walk), take a strike (which is an out), or hit a foul ball (which is also an out). This makes the games go by quicker so you can fit more into the day. This year’s tournament was double elimination and consisted of 7 teams: Karmel 1, New Hope Cambridge, Oxlip Ballhawks, Oxlip Clown Sharks, Refuge 1, River of Life, and the host Salem Saints.

This is always a fun event, and today was no exception. It rained steadily for the first several hours, but everyone made the best of it as they were all just happy to be back playing the game they love. Coach Cole Shugren of Salem did a great job keeping the water under control as best as possible, and Karmel Covenant Church was gracious enough to lend use of their field for a few games to keep things on schedule.

The rain slowed considerably by early afternoon and the field was in much better shape. The games were competitive, featured great sportsmanship, and fun was had by all. In the end, New Hope Cambridge edged the Salem Saints 19-17 in the championship game, while the Oxlip Clown Sharks claimed third place.

Salem is looking to expand the tournament next year to even more teams, so be on the lookout for announcements next spring. If your team has interest in playing but is short on players, you are able to add players from other teams as this is not a league sanctioned tourney. Thanks again to Salem Lutheran Church for putting on such a great event!