By Colleen Kane
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Cincinnati Metro Softball Championships begin today, and by Saturday, two of the top four teams in the Major division will already have one loss in the double-elimination tournament.

METRO BRACKETS

These are PDF files: • Major Division • 'A' Division • 'B' Division, Winners bracket • 'B' Division, Losers bracket • 'C' American Division, Winners bracket • 'C' American Division, Losers bracket • 'C' National Division, Winners bracket • 'C' National Division, Losers bracket • 'D' American Division, Winners bracket • 'D' American Division, Losers bracket • 'D' National Division, Winners bracket • 'D' National Division, Losers bracket

By the luck of Tuesday's draw, the top four teams are pitted against one another in the opening round of the highest division.

No. 1-seed Watanabe will face No. 2 Perkins Roofing Friday at approximately 10:30 p.m. Perkins Roofing is the two-time defending champion. Watanabe, a perennial contender back after a two-year absence, beat Perkins in a championship earlier this summer.

In the second marquee matchup, No. 3 EMR Worth will face No. 4 DLB Purchasing at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

The teams that lose would have to win seven straight games for the title.

This year's tournament has 328 teams, including a record 134 in the D division, with an estimated 5,900 players in five divisions.

Tournament games begin today at 6:30 p.m. All-Star games, with the defending champion teams facing a team of all-stars from their division, will also begin tonight. The C All-Star game will be played at 7:15 p.m., followed by the B All-Star game at 8:15 p.m. at Rumpke Park.

The Opening Ceremonies are Friday night, when tournament officials honor the 1193 Panel Bridge Company, which just returned from Iraq. The Men's A all-star game will be played at 7 p.m., followed by the Major All-Star game at 8:30.