There's youth, and there's experience. 

At the 13th annual Parents Softball Classic on Sunday, a little bit of all that was on display. 

Parents from Manhattan Beach schools form teams and play in a friendly competition. The elementary schools tend to dominate the tournament, with the parents being just a bit younger than parents representing the high school and middle school. 

Three of the top four teams entering the playoff rounds were representing elementaries: Pacific, Robinson and Meadows.

But the fourth team, the more, shall we say, "experienced" parents from Manhattan Beach Middle School, wound up making it to the championship game. It was a rare "worst to final" turnaround for the team, which went 0-4 in 2017. 

To reach the final, MBMS defeated Robinson twice, first in pool play, then in a playoff, with an 8-7 walkoff victory in the bottom of the 6th. 

Meadows had its hands full with a very strong Pacific team that posed a threat to win it all. Their playoff game, which had the feel of "the final before the final," resulted in a hard-fought 4-2 victory for the defending champs. 

In the end, the Meadows parents bolted to a 9-0 final victory over MBMS to claim their fourth consecutive tournament title. It turns out that experience winning titles was the most important kind of experience this year.

Meadows is now tied with Pennekamp with four overall tournament victories dating back to the 2006 debut of the event, which raises funds for the MBX Foundation, supporting student activities in the Manhattan Beach district. (See chart of winners below.)

Watch out next year, as Meadows takes its shot to become the all-time tournament leader, with plenty of returning players from this epic run.

Ten teams participated Sunday, with all of the elementaries fielding a team and Meadows fielding two, plus American Martyrs, MBMS and two teams with parents from Mira Costa High School. More than 100 players came out, helping to raise approximately $20,000 for a good cause. 

Weather was perfect, with clear skies, mid-70s temperatures and a light breeze. The snack bar stayed busy all day as families came out to watch and kids played in the vast unused areas of the field at Marine Sports Complex. 

Tournament director Dave Fratello, a local real estate broker with Confidential Realty, took over managing the event recently from Ross Kay, who kicked it off in 2006. Fratello was captain of the MBMS Waves squad this year, while Kay ran team of tournament veterans.

"Since the first day I stepped on this field," Fratello said, "I've only wanted to see this tournament keep going and get better. It's a great day for everyone. We have inherited a beautiful and fun tradition. The coaches and volunteers all know what to do and they perform every year. Can't wait for the next one."

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PARENTS SOFTBALL CLASSIC WINNERS BY YEAR

2006 - Pennekamp
2007 - Robinson
2008 - Robinson
2009 - Pennekamp
2010 - Pennekamp
2011 - Pacific
2012 - Pennekamp
2013 - MBMS
2014 - American Martyrs
2015 - Meadows
2016 - Meadows
2017 - Meadows
2018 - Meadows