Looking back to the games that were played last Monday, the Lynx must have been still feeling the sting of their first loss as they narrowly escaped with a slim 4-1 victory over the Brewers. I'm sure the Lynx players are counting down the days to the start of the playoffs so they can start playing some meaningful games again.

Also on Monday, Full Tilt was looking to close the gap between them and second place Il Giardino Café. The teams took the field for a double header with the expectations set for two great games with playoff implications. Full Tilt got off to a great start in the first game as their opponent on the ropes and led 6-0 after two innings. But Il Giardino's offense woke up in the third inning and pounded out the hits and runs while cruising to a 19-7 win. By the end of the evening Il Giardino had outscored Full Tilt by the tune of 36-9 which put Full Tilt on the playoff bubble with the Brewers. Nick Kleimola led all hitters with seven hits.

On Tuesday, the Playwright found the winning combination and took two from the Ballot Squad. The sweep put them back in the race for the last playoff position but they would need to keep winning and get some help later in the week. For the moment though, Coach Ken Starr and his troops were feeling good again. Speaking of feeling good, Starr is getting married this weekend - congrats Ken!

In the nightcap, the Isotopes were hoping to prove their worth against the front running Greatest Bar but were quickly shown why the new kids have been on top of the Moran division since week one. The Greatest Bar scored early and often as they cruised to a 13-0 victory. Rick Gigante notched the impressive shutout win for the Greatest Bar.

Wednesday night's games saw another double header match that also had plenty of playoff implications. Before the night began Tweeter sat in fifth place and out of the playoffs and was facing the Feeney division first place team, Boston Beer Garden. Tweeter's coach, Dave Conti, indicated that he would be happy with a split as a win would put him in a tie with the Brewers and Full Tilt. Well, Dave got his wish and much, much more as Tweeter played their best softball of the season as they swept the Beer Garden.

In the first game, Tweeter scored two runs in top of the first inning then added three more runs to take a 5-0 lead before pitcher Steve Mills gave way to Eric Malerba. The Beer Garden scored a run in the sixth on a solo homerun before Malerba closed the door to pick up the two-inning save. Joe Cavaleri and Jose Almanzar paced the offense with a pair of hits while collecting 3 RBI's each.

In game two, Jay Centrella (2 HR, 6RBI) smashed a grand slam to right field giving Tweeter a 9-0 lead in the third inning which knocked the wind out of the sails for the Beer Garden. Tweeter added another touchdown and two point conversion to cruise to the 17-9 victory. Eric Malerba notched the win while Steve Mills pitched two innings in relief. Dave Gross called a great game from behind the plate while adding a pair of hits to help the cause. The two victories secured third place and a playoff position for Tweeter. The Beer Garden could fall to second place if they lose to the Greatest Bar on Thursday coupled with two wins by Il Giardino. You have to love a tight playoff race where the last few games of the season mean everything in the standings.

Thursday's action saw the Stadium hand Sidewalk another loss which guarantees that the defending champions will finish in last place in the Lucas division. Certainly not what they expected this year but they also didn't expect to lose five starters from last year's team. In any case, they will continue to compete this year while auditioning future Sidewalk players as they look towards rebuilding for the future.

Also on Thursday, Murphy's Law handed the understaffed L Street Tavern team a 10-2 defeat. Murphy's then crushed the Isotopes 14-2 to move into second place in the Sam Moran division. Although he is enjoying the recent success of his club, Murphy's Coach John Silva, wishes he could have a few of his early season losses back. Silva realizes his team is much improved since the start of the season and feels that he could be challenging the Greatest Bar for first place in the division. Well, the playoffs will challenge Murphy's and others to prove just how far they have come since opening day.

The week closed with Friday's twin bill that pitted the Brewers against the Playwright with both teams needing a victory to stay in the playoff race. It was the Brewers who struck early and often as they cruised to a 20-6 clutch win that has left them tied with Full Tilt. The two teams will play a one game playoff this Monday with the winner advancing to take on the Greatest Bar. Speaking of the Greatest Bar, they took on the Isotopes in the final game of the week and played well enough to earn the 12-5 win. Due to rainouts and injuries, the Isotopes have been idle for nearly two weeks but will be a busy team down the stretch.

In closing, several members of the M Street Softball League participated in the Amateur Softball Association (A.S.A.) state regional softball tournament that was held this past weekend in Webster, MA. Several members of the El Presidente, Stadium Club, and Sidewalk Café team combined forces for the weekend and played as one but didn't have a strong showing and were quickly eliminated from the competition. Rob Rogers of the Stadium Club once again played for his tournament team, the Legends, who had a good showing but lost in the semi-finals. The Lynx (plus Brewers Leon Corey) had another strong tournament and made it to the finals before losing a nail-biter to the Eagles Softball Club, which included M Streeter's Dan Brown, Joey Venuti, Mike Selig, and Matt Abbot. Congratulations guys!

The playoffs will get underway next week in the M Street Softball League with games being played Monday through Friday starting at 6:30pm and 8pm. We hope to see you in our stands at an upcoming playoff game.