2023 C&J Ales Memorial Softball Tournament Champions

Most Hated(Sonoma County)

9 Team Tournament

CHAMPIONSHIP

Most Hated(Sonoma County) 13  Compasionate Heart 10

All Tournament & M.V.P

 The Charley & Jesse Ales Softball Tournament is what we love most about coming from a small town. The love, support and emotions that were felt and expressed are something we will all feel for a while-a wonderful feeling

Thank you to our friends & family and community for cheering us on in that final nail biter game! This was 20 years in the making and our hearts are full with this big win. The team gave their all-amazing job guys! Casey making the final run was a story book ending and we know his Grandpa and Dad were shining down on him. Fort Bragg will always have a special place in our hearts but it’s the people that leave the lasting impression-we love you all

Ales Tournament Champions Ales Transportation

CHAMPIONSHIP

Ales Transport (Fort Bragg) 8  Compassionate heart 7

Compassionate heart 22  Ales Transport (Fort Bragg) 12 

Ales Transportation WON the C & J Ales Memorial softball tournament for the first time with a walk off hit by Casey Ales. A storybook ending to an amazing weekend of softball. Ale's were playing in there 6th ales championship. they also stopped compassionate heart's streak of 7 straight championship's.

2nd place goes to Compassionate Heart/Dunlap.

The Mendocino Coast Recreation and Park District held the 23rd Annual C & J Ales Memorial Softball Tournament on the weekend of August 13th and 14th 2022. This year there were nine teams, and 20 games were played over two days on the Pavioni Field at Dana Gray Elementary and Patton Field at the Fort Bragg High School. Local businesses donated tons of items that were given out to the players for “hellavua plays” (home runs, clutch hits, and outstanding defensive plays). Sunday afternoon, Ales Transportation took home the title of champion for the first time! Casey Ales, son of Jess and grandson of Charley Ales, hit the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the 7th of the championship game, and tears of happiness were all over the field. Compassionate Heart battled all day on Sunday playing six games and ended up winning the first championship game, but since Ales had not lost a game yet all tournament they had to play again for the championship and ended up in second place. Hi-Star Electric won their first three games, but then lost to Ales Transport and then to Compassionate Heart and took third place. The top three teams received original artwork cut Sheetmetal trophies made by Rantala Sheet Metal and Woodys Weld-All. The remaining six teams were: Bundy’s Ballers, the Masterbatters, Ben Fienburgh Excavating, Hiawatha, Most Hated, and S & S Insulation.

The first Jess Ales Softball Tournament was played in 1998 after Jess passed away in 1997 while playing this game he loved. Jess Ales’ father, Charley Ales, passed away in 2016 and the tournament was renamed the C&J Ales softball tournament in 2017. Jess and Charley loved the game of softball and never missed a tournament game.

This year’s tournament MVP was Casey Ales.

Tournament All Tourneys were: John Heister, Matt Lowe, Mike Casteel, Wes Tyler, Tim Gitchel, and Hunter Rantala.

For the first time, the tournament was kicked off with a Homerun Derby dedicated to Tony “the mic” Anderson on Friday night. Tony has worked or volunteered at every single Ales Tournament since they started, and he loved to be at the field cheering everyone on. The Ales family donated two plaques to the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Park District memorializing Tony.

The winner of the Homerun Derby was Ben Fienburgh, who also received an original artwork cut Sheetmetal trophy made by Rantala Sheet Metal and Woodys Weld-All, as well as a gift basket of local donations.