The third year of the consistently growing Farmville Recreation Department (FRD) Adult Coed Softball League came to a conclusion Sunday as the team known as Bomb Squad defeated the Smokin’ Aces 28-25 in the league tournament championship game at the Firemen’s Sports Arena.

In a town known for its college, public school, private school, Dixie and church softball, the FRD’s adult coed slow-pitch league carves out a unique niche for itself.

“I just think it’s a laid-back recreational league where people can just get out there and have fun and just kind of reminisce of the good old days, really,” said Chris Bolt, director of recreation with the FRD.

The league’s season began in May and was capped by a single-elimination tournament at the end of July. All games were played at the Firemen’s Sports Arena. There were eight teams this year, featuring a combined total of players that Bolt estimated as being at 150.

He noted that each of the three years the FRD has organized the league, the number of participants has grown thanks to returning and new players.

As for this latest season, Bolt said, “I thought it went great. They’re already asking for a fall league, and I don’t know if we’re going to keep that as coed, or we may go strictly men’s slow pitch.”

This is not to imply that women were underrepresented in the spring/summer league, though, as Bolt emphasized that teams had to have as many women on the field as men.

Participants, in general, came from Farmville and the surrounding counties.

Casey Davis, the manager of Bomb Squad, highlighted the broad array of localities represented on her team alone, noting that she is from Buckingham, and she had teammates from Cumberland, Charlotte and Amelia counties.

This was Davis’ second year competing in the Farmville league.

“It’s just a really good time hanging out with people and enjoying the sport, and it’s supposed to be fun, and when you have really good people playing alongside of you or against you, it just makes it a really good competition and a good time,” she said. “I’ve made a lot of friendships throughout the years and played on a couple of different teams between Farmville and Burkeville, and that’s how I put this team together was combining all of those teams.”

Bomb Squad went 11-3 in the regular season to earn the No. 2 seed in the tournament. It finished with a 14-3 record after topping the No. 1 seed and regular season champion Smokin’ Aces in the tourney final.

“I really enjoyed my teammates, and they worked really well together and never gave up when we were down and picked each other up,” Davis said.