It didn't take Ron Wissinger long to get back in the game.

After two years away from softball, Wissinger, 56, of Butler returned to the game to help his brother Ken's age 55-over team win an Eastern National tournament in Michigan last summer.

This year, Wissinger played first base for Connecticut Sports Plex in the Amateur Softball Association's 50-over Major Plus National Championships in Burlington, N.C., in September.

The team wound up winning the double-elimination event with a 5-1 record, coming out of the loser's bracket to do so.

"I wasn't planning on playing anymore,"said Wissinger, who retired as a Butler County Prison corrections officer in July of 2005. "We won our sixth national title in the 45-over category in 2002 and that team was splitting up.

"(Sponsor) Joe Baney didn't want to move up to the 50-over category, so I figured that was it."

Baney's team was Maroadi Transfer, based in Pittsburgh. A few of those players moved on to the Sports Plex squad in Connecticut through various contacts developed through tournament play over the years.

Players are eligible to play in ASAtournaments for teams in bordering states. Wissinger did not join his former teammates this past summer, however.

He did not play softball in 2003 or 2004, returning to the game in 2005 only to help his brother Ken's team in that Michigan tournament. He has not played in a softball league since 2002.

"Ken is three years older than I am, so we can only play on the same team for a couple of years or so, then he moves on to the next age division,"Wissinger said.

Two former Maroadi Transfer teammates — Ron Atkinson of Ellwood City and Rick Snodgrass of Pittsburgh — called Wissinger to come join them for the trip to North Carolina and the 50-over nationals.

"Their sponsor said he would send a team down there, but it had to be a good team that could be competitive at that level,"Wissinger said. "Major Plus is the highest level of amateur softball you can play.

"It sounded like fun, having a chance to play with all of those guys again."

And they wound up winning a national tournament — again.

Wissinger made the all-tournament team for the 12th time in his softball career. He hit 14 home runs in six games and was named the tourney's most valuable player. He was last named MVPof a national tournament in 1997 in Oklahoma.

Only this time, he had not been playing all year.

"I was totally surprised I did that well,"Wissinger said. "I spend most of my free time golfing now. I didn't even have much batting practice before the tournament.

"I found out that I can stay away from softball, participate in the big tournaments and still do OK. That's what I plan to do."

Wissinger also played in a 55-over national tournament in Tampa, Fla., in October. That team finished second. Tournament season runs from May through October.

Wissinger has played on 13 national championship softball teams overall.

"Ronny made one out in that entire (N.C.) tournament,"ASAWestern Pennsylvania Commissioner Guy Demaio said. "He hit the ball a ton down there.

"He's always been a tremendous hitter, but to do that at that level without hardly having played at all is pretty amazing."

Demaio said the Connecticut team was basically "thrown together" to compete in the national tournament.

"They went up against talented teams that have been playing together all year — and they beat them,"he said. "These guys were supposed to be years past their prime."

Wissinger plans to play in 50-over and 55-over tournaments in 2007.

"Senior softball is still pretty competitive," he said. "I won't play in a league anymore, but I do enjoy those tournaments."