Teams from seven local retirement homes gathered in their uniforms in the cafeteria of Renton Senior Activity Center Monday for a rousing baseball tournament.

But although they were playing indoors, there wasn’t any danger of broken windows.

It was beanbag baseball, so instead of bats and balls, the seniors tossed beanbags at a plywood target painted with a picture of a catcher.

The tournament was part of the Northwest Senior Games. This is the first time the beanbag sport has been included in the Games. But many of Monday’s competing communities had played before and even have a makeshift league set up. But tournament organizer Dave Bell says Monday was the first time the teams have gathered in one spot.

The tournament lasted from 9:30 a.m. until just after 4 p.m.

“It went wonderful,” Bell said. “Everyone loved it. It was a lot of fun.”

Bell is co-manager of Cascadian Place in Everett. Cascadian finished second in the double-elimination tournament.

Renton’s only team, from Evergreen Place Retirement, didn’t make it to the finals. Also competing were communities from Bellevue Puyallup, Tacoma and Woodinville. All but one of the teams is from a Holiday Retirement Company community.

Beanbag baseball isn’t as active as ice hockey, a Northwest Senior Games sport that was at a Renton ice arena earlier this month. Beanbag baseball competitors stand behind a taped line and toss a beanbag toward the painted target, which has several holes, each representing a different hit: single, double, triple, home run, out or foul ball. They then move around the bases (chairs) according to which hole the beanbag lands in.

Bell says the sport, developed about four years ago, is a good senior activity.

“It sort of fits,” he said. “People can shoot with a walker or an electric wheelchair. As long as they’re behind the line when they shoot. It’s a great thing for seniors.”

Bell is already planning next year’s beanbag baseball tournament.

“Now we’re making plans for next year,” he says. “We could easily have twice as many teams next year, maybe three times as many.”