Another week of competitive softball entered the history books in the M Street Softball League. With the exception of a rainout on Thursday, the weather continues to be great and the playing field is in top condition thanks to Steve Forcillo and his Boston Parks ground crew. League games are played Monday through Friday with 6pm, 730, and 9pm starting times.

Looking back to last week's action, Tuesday's opener saw the defending champion Shennanigan's hold on to edge the Junction, 8-6. The win kept Shennanigans within striking distance of first place, Sidewalk Café, in the Lucas division. The two clubs will meet for the first time this Friday at 6pm in what should be a great game.

Tuesday's middle game saw the Place erupt for a 16-4 win over the Stadium. The win moved the Place into second in the Feeney division. Game details were not available at press time.

The nightcap saw the surging Swingers win their third game in a row, 16-8 over AK's Restaurant. The Swingers (3-4-1) are now just a half game behind AK's (4-5) for third place in the Moran division. Brian Finnerty (4 hits, 3 RBI), Brian Quinn (3 hits, 2 doubles, 2 RBI), and Jim Bickford (1 HR, 3 RBI) led the offensive attack for the Swingers while Jason Atton scattered ten hits to earn the victory.

On Wednesday, the league's only remaining undefeated team, Sidewalk Café, handled a great effort from the Blood, Sweat, and Beers squad, 10-4. Marty Jemenez (2 hits, 1 HR) hit a towering homerun to left field to give Sidewalk a 4-0 lead and they never looked back. Along with Jemenez, Sam MacDonald (2 hits, 1 HR, 3 RBI) and Jimmy Ladio (2 hits) provided the offense for Sidewalk.

The middle game saw the Cranberry Café lock horns with the Stingers in a great pitchers duel. Game details were not available at press time but we do know that the Cranberry Café got great pitching from John Gregorio and pulled off the upset with a 4-1 victory. The big win keeps Cranberry (5-2) in the race for first place in the quickly improving Feeney division.

Wednesday closed with the Playwright shutting out Clarke's, 14-0 behind Joe Venuti's dominating pitching performance. Venuti, who leads the league in wins (5), strikeouts (55), and ERA (1.91) held Clarke's to just two hits while striking out ten batters. Mercy! Rob Rogers (1 double, 1 HR, 5 RBI), rookie Joe Sullivan (3 HR, 5 RBI), and Matt Traft (3 hits) provided plenty of offense for the Playwright.

After the games were rained out on Thursday, the week concluded with a full slate of games on Friday evening. The night began with Below Average Joe's taking down the Stadium, 14-7. Game details were not available at press time but the win by Joe's (7-3) keeps them right on the heals of the first place Masterbatters (7-1-1) in the Moran division.

The middle game saw The Junction rebound from a tough defeat early in the week to smash Murphy's Law, 17-3. Nate Spada (4 hits), Mike Santoro (4 hits, 2 RBI), Jim Lambert (3 hits, 2 HR, 6 RBI), Jason Scarfo (3 hits), and Matt Miller (3 hits, 1 HR, 5 RBI) provided more than enough offense for the Junction. Jim Innocent notched the win by limiting the Murphy attack to just six hits and three runs.

The week concluded with the Masterbatters hanging on to edge the Southie Sox, 12-9. John O'Malley (3 hits, 1 double, 1 HR, 2 RBI), Mark Eaton (3 hits, 2 doubles), and Brian Shanley (2 hits, 2 HR, 4 RBI) led the offensive attack while Eaton pitched well enough to earn the win for the Masterbatters.

It was announced last week that the second annual Stephen Rosemond softball tournament will be held on Friday, August 6th and Saturday, August 7th at M Street Park. Stephen, who left us far too early in Feb 2009, was an active member of the M Street Softball league is sadly missed by family and friends. We are asking our readers and league members to honor Stephen by helping us raise some funds for his young daughter, Kaileigh. The tournament committee will accept the first twelve teams that register. Details can be obtained from Jim Burgio or Jen Foley.

Games were not played last Monday as the league took the time to observe Memorial Day. The league would like to thank those men and women who have proudly served our country. The Brewer's Joey Magee Jr. and Cranberry Café's Leo Greeley are both active M Street ballplayers who have recently completed a tour over seas. Thank you for serving - it's great to have you back.

While on the subject, it was just a few months ago when two of Greeley's Cranberry teammates, John Silva and Michael Caputo, came to the aid of a local resident who had her purse snatched by a pair of thieves on East Second Street. Their quick acting response led to the retrieval of the purse and the arrest of two out of town thieves. The M Street Softball League is honored to have guys like Caputo, Silva, Magee, and Greeley within its ranks. All are proud men who will stand up and fight for what they believe in which sometimes can be a rarity in today's society. We hope to see you at the park - have a great week everybody!