KUWAIT CITY, Feb 21: Tanya Westendorf partnered with team mate and fellow baseman and prolific fly-ball catcher Sabeeka Aljasem to lead the NBK Red Sox to an 8-6 finish over the Giants in the Softball division while the Twins fought the Dodgers to a 3-3 stand off as the ongoing Kuwait Little League (KLL) Baseball season over the week-end ended the final phase of the first half with six games played per team. With two of the teams, Majors2 and Majors currently in Qatar for an ongoing friendly tournament there, the weekend saw fewer than normal games played with only the Minors, Softball and Seniors Divisions playing their last games to determine the champions for the first half of the season.

Friday and Saturday saw many of the divisions battling it out for the first half season division titles. Having played six games each since the opening season in Jan 2012, the Minors, Softball and Seniors Division champions were determined after the dust had settled on the fields. For the Minors, the Keifan Optics Indians are the Division champs with an impressive 5-1 record. The Mets and Rangers tied for 2nd place followed by the Selem Marlins.

In the Softball Division, there is currently a three-way tie between the Giants, NBK Red Sox and KEO Twins, followed by the Mirmar Dodgers. For the Seniors Division, the Al Altraf Yankees are the Division Champions with a 6-2 record, followed by the Bader Sultan & Bros Padres then CuzCreations Red Sox.
The Majors2 and Majors division final first half games will be played next weekend as both divisions had players travel to Qatar for a friendly tournament. The Tee-Ball and Challenger Divisions who as 5-7 year-olds playing for the experience to develop the knowledge and skills of the game, are not part of the division championships for these groups.

In Minors Division action, the Keifan Optics Indians went against the Rangers winning their game while the Selem Marlins gained a win over the Mets by forfeiture of game.
In the Women’s Softball played Friday, the NBK Red Sox continued their usual well-played fielding and far-out batting, but the Giants stepped up to the challenge winning the game 8-6. Giants’ third baseman Tanya Westendorf caught a fly ball in the first inning; which she continued to do in the second and third inning.

Right fielder Sabeeka Aljasem also caught fly balls in the third and sixth inning. In addition to excellent pitching, Anissa Aghtarafi worked well under pressure with a close out at home plate in the fifth inning. First baseman Nadia Aghtarafi consistently stopped the Red Sox at first base with assists from Anissa Aghtarafi, Tanya Westendorf, and Balqees Ali, who held her own on second base. The Giants continued to meet the challenge at bat with solid swings and multiple RBIs. The Giants definitely pulled it together for an intense game against the lauded Red Sox.
The Twins topped the Mirmar Dodgers in five innings on Friday as Abigail Klausen went 3-3 at the plate. Klausen put herself in scoring position with two extra-base hits for the Twins. Klausen singled in the first inning, tripled in the second, and doubled in the fourth inning. Khazna Al-Azmi hit a home run to left field knocking in Klausen and Dana Al Sumait.

The Twins offense was also powered by the solid at bats of Anna Nietzer and Al Sumait. While Al-Azmi caught a fly ball at short stop and tagged the runner for a double play, the Dodgers had their fair share of great plays with Zaynab Holland in control of her short stop position, nothing got past her. Mya Morton, for the Dodgers, hit an RBI triple but it wasn’t enough to stop the Twins.
The Seniors weekend games had the Bader Sultan & Bros. Padres having the double header games against the Cuz-Creations Red Sox on Friday and the Al Atraf Yankees on Saturday. Both games saw heavy action and wins by the Padre’s game which could have given them the first half division championship. Unfortunately the Red Sox and the Yankees did not allow that to happen with both teams defeating the Padres.

There will be a special parents’ Kuwait Little League (KLL) Tournament staged Sunday, Feb 26, 2012 at the KLL Baseball and Softball fields.
The Kuwait Little League Baseball and Softball is an organization that has been working with the children of Kuwait since the early 1980s. They function strictly through the efforts of volunteers ranging from management, coaches and even parents, and are a non-profit organization with all the income going towards the maintenance of the fields and the equipment needed for the players.

Below is the list of divisions with their age categories:
Tee Ball - Boys and Girls - 5 to 7 years old
Minors - Boys and Girls - 8 to 10 years old
Majors - Boys and Girls - 11 to 12 years old
Juniors - Boys and Girls - 13 to 14 years old
Seniors - Boys and Girls - 15 to 18 years old
Softball - Girls only - 11 to 18 years old
Challenger* - Boys and Girls - 7 to 12 year olds with special needs