Vector Security’s softball team began its winning streak last August when it claimed the Pennsylvania state title and ended it with the team ranking No. 1 in the nation.

Vector’s team, comprised of members from throughout the state of Pennsylvania, won the state title in 2003 but placed seventh in national competition. In 2004, the team roared back to win the state and national titles.

The tournament finals pitched fierce competitors against one another, but Vector’s tenacity and player confidence won the day. The last series of games against Ken’s Beverage from Chicago proved the most dramatic.

Vector trailed Ken’s Beverage 22 to 11 after three innings, but came back to win by a razor-thin margin of only 28 to 27. In the final fifth game, Vector again faced Ken’s Beverage, but prevailed by a score of 24 to 18 to take the Gold at Disney World.

Team captain Mark McGahen of Mechanicsburg, Pa., insisted that the credit goes to his team’s ability to work together. “The level we play in is the men’s over-45 division, and our team has played together for several years now,” McGahen noted. “The result is that we know each player’s individual game personality and can better anticipate how to act cohesively as a team.”

Mike Grady, senior vice president of Vector Security, pointed out, “We look at sports sponsorships in much the same way we do our business philosophy. The prominence of a sport or its number of fans matters less to us than our ability to help talented amateurs and professionals make their dreams come true.”