A GAY SOFTBALL TEAM from Atlanta last brought home a championship trophy from the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance World Series in 2004. Some 10 teams will attempt to end that three-year drought next month when they travel to Phoenix for the gay softball tournament.

The Hotlanta Softball League closed its 26th season last weekend, spending two days on the field sorting out which teams will represent it at the World Series, which brings together teams from the 56 leagues across 35 cities that comprise NAGAAA.

Angela Smith, who oversees HSL’s Women’s Division while also playing for the Gammas, now sets aside her glove and bat to ramp up fundraising efforts to cover the expected $16,000 cost of transporting, feeding and housing the team at the World Series, which runs Oct. 1-6.

“It’s the camaraderie of meeting new people, seeing how their leagues run — it is a fun time,” said Smith, who’s played in the World Series each year since 1997. “When you use that as your week’s vacation, you want to make it something that you like.”

THE GAMMAS TOOK first place in the Alternative Division, one of three divisions for women in HSL. The Riptide rolled to the title in the Competitive Division, while the Fusion took the Recreational title.

“The high point of the season was seeing everyone having a good time and getting better at playing ball and being more competitive. We’ve played a long season this year,” Smith said.

In the Open Division, which is comprised mostly of men though women are allowed on the teams, four divisions crowned champions earlier this month: Venom (A), Sluggers (B) and Packers (C), while Big Tease and War Eagles split the title (D). The lineup of HSL Division Champions and the teams that take the league’s World Series berths are slightly different, as one women’s team opted not to travel and there are more tournament spots available in the Open Division than champions.

Now the fundraising turns serious, Smith said. The Women’s Division has held a wet t-shirt contest, boxing contests and will host a golf tournament on Sept. 8 at 8 a.m. at Alfred “Top” Holmes Golf Course.

“You wouldn’t believe the women who get in there and fight. They get their nose broken and black eyes. Pretty much you name it, we’ll do it to raise money,” Smith said.

The Gammas hope to raise enough to rent a motor home during the Phoenix tournament, a tradition that goes back several years. They park alongside the fields to rest between games. And in years when fundraising fell short, Smith said they’ve driven it hundreds of miles to the World Series site.

BEFORE THE EXCITEMENT of the World Series, HSL kicks off Fall Ball, a brief co-ed season that mixes players of all skills across its six teams. For the first time, the league will play its games at the athletic fields of Piedmont Park, moving from HSL’s usual home in southwest Fulton County.

“It will be new exposure for the league. It’s also a good entry point for people who want to start playing,” Smith said.

The season opens Sept. 23, with additional games on Oct. 14, Oct. 28 and Nov. 4.