Sidewalk, Cranberry, and Below Average Joe's lead the way

It was another great week of competitive softball games in the M Street Softball League. The Cranberry Café and Below Average Joe's both had very successful weeks that saw them both move into first place in their respective divisions while Sidewalk extended their unbeaten streak to seven games, 7-0. League games are played Monday through Friday with 6pm, 730, and 9pm starting times.

The week began with AK's Restaurant taking on the Stadium in a game that both teams needed to remain in the playoff race. In the end, it was the Mark Harris led Stadium club outlasting AK's 12-7. Harris banged out three of his league leading 28 hits that upped his average to .651

The middle game also paired a couple of teams battling for the last playoff position in the Feeney division. The L Street Tavern began the day trailing Blood, Sweat and Beers by two games. However, a tough-grinding 8-6 win has now put the, within a game with half a season to go. Pitcher Joe Pillar had his best outing of the year as he scattered eleven hits while striking out four good enough to pick up his third win of the season.

Monday's nightcap featured the league's best pitcher, Joey Venuti and the Playwright taking on the upstart Junction team. Venuti has been dominant so far this season as he leads the league in ERA (2.20) and strikeouts (60). However, the Junction and their young lineup of sluggers didn't back down and nearly pulled off the upset. But it was Venuti and the Playwright prevailing 7-5 to end a great night of softball.

Tuesday opened with the struggling Stingers looking for a much needed win against Murphy's Law. Eventually the Stingers pulled away and won the game, 13-6 but not before Murphy's kept it close and gave them a scare. The Stingers were one of the better teams as the season closed last year but so far they haven't hit their stride. Coach Stephen Ballas, who is among the leaders in hits with 19, will look to rally his squad against the tough competition they face in the coming weeks.

The middle game saw Shennanigans dismantle the struggling Clarke's squad, 22-1. This was as one-sided as a game can get folks so I will spare you the details. The win was Shennanigan's fourth in a row which moved them into second place in the Lucas division

The evening closed with the Sidewalk Café winning their seventh in a row, 15-5, over the Bulldogs to remain unbeaten. This game was all about the offensive power of Marty Jemenez, who homered three times while driving in eight runs. Brother Tony was on hand to witness the feat himself and marveled at how well his younger brother is swinging the bat. Marty is amongst the leaders with 6 homeruns and 14 RBI.

Wednesday's schedule was cut short by rain but not before the Cranberry Café knocked off the Shamrock Pub, 13-6 on a slick field. John Gregorio notched his league leading sixth win of the season while Mike Caputo banged out two hits while collecting three RBI's.

The sun was back in the sky on Thursday as the other Playwright squad took on Blood, Sweat, and Beers (BSB). Paul Fabianski was staked to a 6-1 lead and then pitched well enough to hold off the bats of the Playwright as they pulled off the upset, 8-6. The win kept BSB in the playoff hunt while the loss was handled in stride by a veteran team that realizes the games in late August are the ones that really count.

Thursday's middle game saw the red hot Swingers team taking on the Southie Sox in a game that had important playoff implications for both teams. The Sox jumped on new comer Jason Atton early to a 5-0 lead but the Swingers and their revamped lineup came back swinging and prevailed, 11-5. The loss was the fifth in a row for the struggling Sox.

The night closed with a game that put first place up for grabs in the Moran division as the first place Masterbatters took on the second place Below Average Joe's. Surprisingly, Joe's scored early and very often as they cruised to a 20-8 win over the Masterbatters.

Friday's action saw two games on the schedule. The Cranberry Café picked up their second win of the week when they trounced Murphy's Law, 11-2. More importantly the win was Cranberry's sixth in a row and moved them a game ahead of the Junction, who were rained out on Wednesday.

The week closed with the Swingers looking to take down the Stadium and win their fourth win in a row. However, Mark Harris and the Stadium had other ideas and turned the tables against the Swingers by the tune of a 17-1 whipping. Nobody would have predicted this one folks proving again that anything can and usually does happen in the world of sports. Until next time, have a great week and we hope to see you on the softball field.