Sixteen softball teams from around the Northland took part in the second annual Zenith City Zmackdown Fastpitch Softball Tournament.

The tournament- hosted by the Duluth Girl’s Fastpitch League – took place Saturday July 26th through Sunday July 27th at Wheeler Field Complex in Duluth. There were three age brackets, and the weekend consisted of one day of pool play (Saturday), and one day of tournament play (Sunday).

The Zmackdown tournament celebrates the end of summer softball play. Organizers at the Duluth Fastpitch League developed the tournament in 2023, and wanted to create an event that allows softball teams to have a year-end tournament that shows off their growth over the summer months.

“It’s just really fun because you get to have a lot of fun with your teammates and it’s just really fun to play,” said Lucy, a Duluth fastpitch softball player, who competed at the event.

“We’ve been thinking about doing a tournament for many, many years, and last year was the first year that we were able to kind of get everything organized and ready to go. And so, as an initial launch last year, we were very, very excited about the success of the tournament,” said Dory Pohl, secretary of the Duluth Girls Fastpitch League.

The tournament has grown since its inception, and Pohl hopes the event will continue to grow in years to come.

“16 teams in our tournament, and so we hope this tournament just continues to grow. It’s at the end of the summer season, so it’s a nice wrap-up tournament. So, lots of just fun and good attitudes here on the ballparks today,” said Pohl.