50 TEAMS TO COMPETE YOUTH SLOW-PITCH SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT SET THIS WEEKEND.

Byline: JUDY O'ROURKE Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- Former USA softball team pitcher Samantha Ford and her husband are hosting Santa Clarita's first-ever major youth softball tournament this weekend, a qualifier for a national event.

Some 50 teams from four states will compete on local fields.

The couple's chutzpah in organizing the event on the fly after the host city dropped out 11/2 months ago is dwarfed by their dream: minting Santa Clarita as a permanent host by building a venue twice the size of Central Park.

This Field of Dreams has the bases loaded.

``This type of venue is what we're working to attract more of -- sports tourism,'' said Carrie Rogers, the city's economic development manager. ``This is certainly one of the many ideas we have been talking about.''

Rick Gould, the city's director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, said the benefit to the city would be more than just economic.

``It helps create a sense of place in a healthy community by providing positive outlets for our youth,'' he said. ``We continue to look for opportunities to maximize our facilities for sports tourism while maintaining the local access our residents expect.''

Others have proposed sports complexes, but the challenge of finding a sizeable parcel in the city has been an obstacle.

Ford -- whose pitching prowess at Hart High School broke every CIF record and catapulted her to two national championships with UCLA -- says the venue would fit tight as a glove considering the community's growth and vast pool of athletic talent.

``If we had a major facility, it could be a huge draw for Santa Clarita,'' she said, noting that Lancaster is home to the next-closest sports ground, followed by Hemet, Menifee and Palm Springs. Ford envisions the facility as a boon to tourism, with throngs of visitors sleeping in hotels, patronizing eateries, buying gas and visiting Six Flags California.

Her husband Todd Dusenberry declined to say where the project might be located or what it would cost, noting that several scenarios involving high-stakes players are in play.

Saturday and Sunday's games will be split among fields in Santa Clarita and Sylmar. Girls age 16-18 will play at Central Park, Newhall Park, Bridgeport Elementary School and Valencia and Hart high schools. Twelve to 14-year-olds will compete at El Cariso Park in Sylmar.

The teams hail from across the Southland, Northern California, Arizona, Colorado and Texas. Eight teams are local, seven are from the Ventura County area and five are from the San Fernando Valley.

Winners in the four age brackets will advance to Triple Crown Sports' annual World Series in Park City, Utah, in July. The organization is one of three nationwide that sponsor elite fast-pitch softball tournaments.

Dusenberry's for-profit Synergy Sports and Tutoring in Valencia will help coordinate the tournament. A nonprofit program -- whose players sport the company's logo -- supports five travel softball teams, travel baseball and basketball teams and a youth golf program.

Dusenberry hopes the American Softball Association, the top national organization for youth fast-pitch, will pick Santa Clarita to host its tournaments for 10- and 12-year-olds next year. Winners there will advance to the ASA nationals, the most prestigious fast-pitch softball contest in the country.

Games will be played from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit the Triple Crown Sports Web site at www.triplecrownsports.com.

judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com

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(color) Former USA softball team member Samantha Ford and her husband Todd Dusenberry are bringing a world-class softball tournament to Santa Clarita this weekend.

David Crane/Staff Photographer