It was your usual M Street finals game - both teams questioning the legality of the pitching, a few umpiring calls wherein both teams thought they got screwed, and a moment in the game when both teams were pretty much all on the field yelling at each other and proposing to fight. In the end, though, it really was a well-played game by both sides and a good lead-in to tomorrow's doubleheader.

After the Simpson Club failed to take advantage of a couple of first inning singles, Southside took the early lead. Sandy Jonge doubled and came around to score when Sammy "Ballgame" MacDonald put one past Brian Goodman at second base. After another scoreless half-inning by PSC, Kevin O'hara singled and subsequently scored on Nate Mattson's two-out double. The score was 2 - 0, Southside, after two complete.

In the top of the third, things heated up. Pat Sullivan walked to lead off. Big Mike Garland singled. Bobby Gomes hit a fly to right enter, Sullivan tagging and going to third. Then it became time for an argument. Chris Flaherty flied to right center, and it appeared a catch was made. Pat Sullivan tagged and scored. However, it was ruled that the ball was dropped (not on the exchange, as argued by Southside) and Flaherty was safe, 2 - 1 ballgame, one out. Marky Goodmn hit into a fielder's choice, an out at third, but a try at the double play went by Miguel Dupree at first base, leaving two runners on, two out, for Brian Goodman. Goodman proceeded to launch one over the fence in left field for three runs and 4 - 2 Pat Simpson Club lead. While he circled the bases, jawing began between players on both sides and there were some small wrestling matches and threats tossed around, but it calmed down after five minutes or so and Southside got the third out.

After a scoreless fourth, Simpsons got a single from Bobby Gomes with one out and he took second on a ground out. Marky Goodman singled, but Gomes was erased at home on a good throw from left. Southside used their half of the inning to get back within one. Johnny Manning walked; Nate Mattson singled; a fly out moved both runners up; and Sandy Jonge's fly scored Manning, 4 - 3, Simpsons, after five.

In the top of the sixth, the Simpson Club again got a couple of runners aboard, but couldn't get them around. And bottom of the sixth was where Southside won it. Lenky Dupree hustled out a double to open things; Big Mike Garland got two dangerous batters - Pat Dolbeare and Mike Selig - but walked Toco Soto. That brought Kevin "K.O." O'Hara to the plate. He laced one to center field and the ball took a pretty bad hop to the right, away from Brian Hurld, while K.O. sped around to third base, the two runners in front of him scoring. Then, when a throw to home went to the backstop, O'Hara got back on his horse and scored himself. That made it 6 - 4, Southside, and that was the final. Pat Sullivan reached to start the seventh, but was erased on a double play and the third out followed soon thereafter.

This was a good game to watch. While some of the arguments might not have been needed, the fire between the squads was commendable. It's nice to see two teams that care as much as these guys do. Here's hoping for an exciting, and clean, doubleheader tomorrow.

Game 2: Thursday, Sep. 28th @ 6:30 PM
Southside Tavern 21 - Pat Simpson Club 8 (6 innings)

Game two was over quickly, figuratively if not literally. Southside Tavern takes a commanding 2 - 0 lead in the best of five.

Things didn't start auspiciously for The Home Team, that being the Pat Simpson Club. Toco Soto reached on an error. Then singles by Sammy "Ballgame" MacDonald and Miguel "Lenky" Dupree brought home Soto; Patsy Dolbeare and Mike Selig walked, producing another run and leaving bases loaded; and Kevin "K.O." O'Hara doubled in two and an additional two scored on errors. It was 6 - 0, Southside, and still no outs. There were two more baserunners, but they were stranded. Pat Simpson Club scored two in the bottom of the first, with two out, as Brian Goodman singled; Brian Hurld doubled him in; Scott Simpson singled; and then an error on Pat Sullivan's grounder allowed Hurld to score; but that was the closest this game would get. A two-run homer by MacDonald followed a Soto single to begin the second inning, while O'Hara, Dubois and Mattson drove in another three to make it 11 - 2. Simpsons did not score in their half of the second. Third inning was no better for PSC, as two more were in for Southside - and a runner on base - by the time two outs had been recorded. It was 13 - 2, Southside. Then something happened I have never been party to in my 50+ years of playing ball.

The umpire, Earl Garrett quit. A player in the Simpson bench area had voiced his displeasure about a missed strike. Garrett didn't warn or say a word but instead stared at the player. When that same player followed with "what are you going to quit?" The veteran ump stood up from his crouched position behind home plate and walked off the field. Despite pleas the player who were on the field, Garrett just kept walking, got into his car, and drove way.

To set the scenario from this point on, there were supposed to be two umpires to begin this game. However, the second umpire (Macca), never showed. Now there was NO umpire. After a few minutes - to make a long story short - I took over as umpire and the game continued. Unreal!

The major story in any ballgame shouldn't be the umpire quitting, let alone in the finals, and the story should certainly never be me, either. And it wasn't. Southside won handily. From the time Earl quit, though, I was too busy umpiring to keep a book. A good person in the stands was given the book to keep, but - while she did a good job of tracking the run scoring - her attention to the finer details was lacking, so I don't have any of those finer details to report. Suffice to say that Southside was never seriously threatened the rest of the way and they went on to an easy victory. My sincere thanks to every player involved for making my job mostly easy. Considering what was at stake, and how hideously things had become when Earl Garrett quit, both teams earned my respect for carrying on in as professional a manner as was possible. Thank you.

During the completion of the previous game, phone calls were being made to see if a professional umpire could be found for game three. The services of Mikey Lydon were secured and he was hustled over to the ballpark by Brian Walsh of Handdukies. My thanks to all involved for making this work, especially Lydon. Many good M Street citizens stepped up when needed. You guys are the best.

Game three in the series was a good one and a credit to the runners-up. Pat Simpson Club played their hearts out and (as in the first game of the series) they held a lead into the later innings.

After a scoreless top of the first, Southside plated two in the bottom of the frame. After two outs, Lenky Dupree and Patsy Dobeare walked. Mike Selig doubled home Dupree and Toco Soto singled in Dolbeare. 2 - 0, Southside. In the top of the second, Pat Sullivan (who played magnificently all series for his club) doubled with one out. Jay Allen singled and Sullivan tried to score. However, a very good throw from Dupree, in right field, cut Sully down at the plate. Allen moved up on the throw and then scored on Big Mike Garland's single. Gerry Sarro singled to keep things rolling, but Rob Gomes was erased unassisted on a grounder to Sammy MacDonald. Bottom of the second saw Southside add an unearned run on an outfield error and a subsequent ground out, making it 3 - 1, Southside, after two complete. It remained that way after a scoreless third.

Pat Simpson Club tied it in the top of the fourth. RBI singles by Garland and Gomes did the job. Then, in the top of the fifth, they took the lead. Marky Goodman singled; his brother, Brian, also singled; and Brian Hurld walked to load the bases. Scotty Simpson hit a sacrifice fly to score Marky, and Brian hustled around to score another when the throw from the outfield wasn't on target. PSC had the lead, and they loaded the bases via a couple of more walks, but Jason "Eeka" Calnan (as he did much of the evening) worked out of the jam. A double play ball ended the inning with the score 5 - 3, Simpsons.

Southside quickly tied the game. Choco Samuel led off with a single and Sandy Jonge homered. After an out, Dupree singled; Dolbeare singled; and a Mike Selig single scored Dupree for the lead. A fielder's choice erased Dolbeare, but an error scored Selig to make it 7 - 5, Southside, heading into the sixth inning.

After two outs, the Simpson boys loaded the bases on two singles and a walk, but left them that way via a 6 - 4 force as pitcher Calnan again got the big out when needed. In the bottom of the sixth, an RBI single by Jonge and a sac fly from Dupree upped the score to 9 - 5, Southside, headed into The Pat Simpson Club's last call. A walk by Scotty Simpson opened things. After one out, Jay Allen walked and a Garland single scored Simpson. A Sarro fielder's choice and a Gomes walk loaded the bases with two out, bringing the possible go-ahead run to the plate, a grounder resulted in Toco Soto flipping to Sandy Jonge at second base for the final out of the season, and Southside Tavern began celebrating their second MSSL in a row.

Pitcher Jason "Eeka" Calnan (2 - 0, 2.00 ERA) was named MVP of the finals.

2017 M Street Champions: front row/left to right - Danny Ekasala (manager), Miguel Dupree, Donis Gerdino, Sandy Jonge, and John Manning. Back row/left to right - Toco Soto, Sammy MacDonald, Choco Samuel, Nate Mattson, Derek Dubois, Pat Dolbeare, Mark Dion, Jackie Manning, Kevin O'Hara, Jason Calnan (MVP) with son, and Mike Selig.

Southside wins series 3-0

Pat Simpson Club 20 - Loco Pirates 13

Playing with only nine, and missing at least four regular starters, isn't the best way to begin your semi-finals. The Pirates knew that coming in, so they weren't altogether shocked to lose.

Brian Pacheco was the starting pitcher and he found out early that it might not be his day. Cheeks gave up back-to-back-to-back homers to Brian Hurld (first of two), Scotty Simpson and Jeff Kasper, in the first inning - and things got worse from there. After one out, a Bobby Gomes home run opened the Pat Simpson Club scoring in the second inning, then the next six batters reached (a couple of hideously bad hops in the infield didn't help.) At that point, trailing 10 - 1, coach Charlie Conners decided maybe it was best to change things up and save Cheeks for another day. He brought Pat Pickup in from his spot at second base to pitch. While Pickup had a bit better luck - he gave up nine in his 4-2/3 innings of work, but only four were earned - it was 14 - 1 for the Simpsons by the time the dust had cleared in the third inning. The Pirates gave it a good shot, getting to within four, at 14 - 10 - a grand slam from Gregg Bosse being a highlight - but Simpsons scored another six in the sixth inning to salt it away. Game two goes tonight at 8:30 and the Pirates will need all hands on deck to even this one.

Loco Pirates 9 - Pat Simpson Club 8 (8 innings)

By all means, the closest game of the playoffs thus far - and a tough one for either team to lose.

Pat Simpson Club took the early lead. Top of the first, Chris Flaherty led off with a single. After an out, Brian Goodman singled. A fielder's choice left runners on first and third, two out. Then an uncharacteristic error by Steve Stalcup at SS allowed Flaherty to score. Jay Allen singled in another, then Big Mike Garland followed with another single to score Scott Simpson. 3 - 0. Simpson Club. The Pirates answered with three of their own in the bottom half, as a Marc Montesano triple scored two and then Josh Neely singled to score Montesano.

Pirates took control in their half of the second. Josh "Trooper" McKelligan doubled home two, followed by a Robbie Rogers two-run homer. 7 - 3, Pirates, after two. Simpson Club chipped away, scoring one in the third and another in the fifth, making it 7 - 5. Then, in the top of the seventh, Brian Pacheco got two quick outs and it looked like maybe Gerry Sarro's fine pitching for the Simpsons (zero hits in innings 3, 4, 5 and 6) would be wasted. But here came the two-out magic - Brian Goodman singled; Brian Hurld doubled to score Goodman, making it 7 - 6, Pirates; Scotty Simpson walked; Jay Allen singled, scoring Hurld to tie the game at seven each; Garland walked. to extend the inning; but Cheeks got Pat Sullivan to ground out, 6 to 4, and now it was the Pirates turn to try and win it, needing one in the bottom of the seventh.

Gregg Bosse singled and the ball got by the outfield, with Bosse ending up on third with nobody out. Steve Stalcup walked. McKelligan hit a fly to short left field that Brian Hurld made a great catch on, and Stalcup moved to second on the play. Rogers was intentionally walked, loading the bases with one out. Gerry Sarro got Montesano to swing at a high 3 - 1 pitch, popping out to second. Then Brad Cole put the ball in the air, but to Bobby Gomes for the third out. Sarro had gotten out of a man on thid, no out, situation where one run would have won the game for the Pirates. On to extra innings!

Leading off the top of the eighth, Jeff Kasper - who had arrived in street clothes earlier and hurriedly changed into a uniform to pinch hit for Anthony Flaherty - swung at the first pitch and sent it over the fence in left center! 8 - 7, Simpsons. Oh mercy! After Cheeks got the next two batters, both Goodman brothers singled, and Brian Hurld walked to load the bases. Pacheco got the dangerous Scotty Simpson to ground out 6 - 4. Pirates now needed one to keep it going - or two to win it.

Josh Neely led off with a single. Jarrad Conley singled. Pacheco singled, Neely scoring, tie game. Tony Hutchins hit a grounder, but reached on an error, loading the bases, still with no outs. And it ended not with a bang, but a whimper, as Gregg Bosse worked a base-on-balls to drive in Conley with the winning run, 9 - 8 Pirates in eight innings. The series is tied at one apiece and will resume whenever the nice weather returns.

Pat Simpson Club 15 - Loco Pirates 13

Before anything else, the league would like to thank the boys from the Simpson Club for their work on getting the field ready for play tonight. The Home Team stepped up when needed and it is much appreciated.

Pirates took the early lead in this one, scoring four in the top of the first. Simpsons replied with one in the bottom. Then, after a scoreless top of the second, the Simpsons took over. They scored eight times - one earned, due to the order of scoring after three outs should have been in the books, but Simpsons did "earn" most of them. The big shot was a three-run homer by coach Scotty Simpson. 9 - 4, Pat Simpson Club, after two complete. Pirates got two back in the third, but Simpsons answered with another one, making it 10 - 6, Simpsons, after three.

The Pirates now came alive, loading the bases via the first three batters. After a strikeout was recorded, Robby Rogers walked to force in one. Marc Montesano (4 RBI) singled to drive in two more. Then Charlie Conners tripled, plating two more runs. Pat "Dub" Wilson put one on the ground up the middle, off pitcher Mike Garland, but the Simpson infield corraled it and threw to first to erase Dub, Conners scoring on the play, now a 12 - 10 Pirates lead. Simpsons did not score in their half. However, after a scoreless Pirate's fifth, Simpson's tied the game at 12 on RBI singles by Chris Flaherty and Marky Goodman. Pirates took the lead in the top of the sixth via a base loaded walk by Dub Wilson. Simpsons left them loaded in their half, so we went to the seventh at 13 - 12, Pirates. But the Pirates also left the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, without scoring, and it remained a 13 - 12 game heading into last call for the Pat Simpson Club.

With one out, Chris Flaherty (4-for-5) singled - and then scooted all the way around to third as the ball was misplayed in the outfield. Marky Goodman stepped to the plate. On a 2 - 2 count...the lights went out. On a city timer, they went dark at 10:45. Amid the general curses from both teams, Charlie Conners of the Pirates acted quickly and made a call to someone in the city department that handles such things. He got them to turn the lights back on - took about ten minutes for them to power up fully once again - and play resumed (the league thanks Charlie for this, of course.)

Marky Goodman stepped back up to the plate and worked a walk, to become the possible winning run at first base. Then his brother, Brian, came to bat and crushed one (through the nasty wind) over the fence in left for a three-run walk-off home run! Do you believe in Karma? The team that had the late game tonight, but who came down and got the field ready for play before the early game, had ended the evening in their favor. Series lead to Simpsons, 2 - 1. Oh, my, what a night of softball...does it get any better than this?

Pirates 11 - Pat Simpson Club 9

A trip to the finals was in the hands of the Pat Simpson Club, but they couldn't hang on to it.

Simpsons took the early lead, 1 - 0, on the strength of a two-out Brian Hurld RBI double. Scott Simpson followed with a single, but Hurld was cut down at the plate on a strong throw from CF Gregg Bosse. That was the first of two runners lost at home by the Simpson Club with Bosse's arm being instrumental (more on the second one later.) In the second, PSC lengthened their lead to 5 - 0. Jeff Kasper walked; Jay Allen singled; a Pat Sullivan fielder's choice left men on first and third with one out; Big Mike Garland singled in Kasper; Bobby Gomes singled; Pirates SS Steve Stalcup made a nice play, ranging far into the outfield for a pop up and the second out; but Marky Goodman singled to drive in Sullivan and his brother, Brian, doubled in two more. Pitcher Gerry Sarro, meanwhile, didn't allow a Pirate hit through the first two innings.

In the third, Kasper walked and Allen singled. Sullivan stepped to the plate and put one over the fence in left for another three runs, 8 - 0. Then a Brian Hurld home run in the fourth made it 9 - 0. It looked for all the world as though Pat Simpson Club was punching their ticket to the championship round. But here's where things started collapsing. To start the bottom of the fourth, the Pirates got three singles to load the bases. Pat "Dub" Wilson singled to score two of those runners and suddenly the Pirates bench exhibited some life. Jarrad Conley then hit a hard shot on the ground to Jay Allen at 1B, and Allen tagged the bag for an out. However, Dub Wilson had stayed at home on the bag. Had Allen tagged Dub first, then the bag, it would have been a very quick two outs, but once he tagged the bag, the force was off and Wilson didn't have to move. Brian "Cheeks" Pacheco followed with a single to score Marc Montesano. Pat Pickup walked to load them up again. Then Tony Hutchins grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring Wilson, and when he saw an opening, Jarrad Conley (who had been inserted as courtesy runner for Cheeks) kept coming and beat the throw to the catcher by a whisker. That made it 9 - 5 and the black and gold knew they were back in it. And when Gregg Bosse drove on to deep right center, and he and Hutchins both came around to score, it was suddenly 9 - 7 and all bets were off. It was anyone's game again.

Simpson's put two on in the top of the fifth. but couldn't plate them. Then here came the Pirstes again. After one out, Montesano reached on an error; Wilson walked; Conley doubled to score Montesano; Cheeks drove in his second run of the night with a single that scored Wilson; a possible double-play ball off the bat of Pickup was botched, Conley scoring; and, after the second out had been recorded on a pop-up, another Simpson's error allowed Cheeks to score. Pirates had four more runs on two hits, a walk, and three errors. They now led, 11 - 9.

In the Simpson's sixth, Scotty Simpson tripled with two out. However, he was sent home and became the second runner cut down at the plate by help of Bosse. Then things got a bit tense in the Simpson's dugout - a couple of their players almost came to blows with each other. Cooler heads finally prevailed, but it looked for all the world that the wheels were officially coming off their wagon. They held Pirates scoreless in their half of the sixth, and then Jeff Kasper started their seventh with a double, bringing them back to life, but three quick outs followed, Kasper was stranded on third, and the Pirates had evened this series with an improbable comeback victory.

Game five goes tonight for all the marbles and nobody should expect anything than less than a full-out war.

Pat Simpson Club 9 - Loco Pirates 6

Pat Simpson Club earned a trip to the championships with a 9 - 6 victory over the Loco Pirates.

After a scoreless first inning, the Pirates got on the board in the top of the second via a couple of two-out clutch RBI hits - a single by Tony Hutchins and a double by Gregg Bosse. The Simpson Club responded with three in their half of the inning - Jay Allen singled; Pat Sullivan singled; Mike Garland singled, scoring Allen; Gerry Sarro hit into a fielder's choice, Sullivan to third base; a Bobby Gomes sac fly brought home Sullivan; Chris Flaherty singled and Sarro hustled to third; and Marky Goodman's single scored Sarro. 3 - 2, Simpsons, after two.

Top of the third brought controversy. With one out, Rob Rogers lofted a fly ball to deep left center. The ball was caught by Gerry Sarro and was ruled an out by Umpire Mikey Lydon. However, on the way down it hit some leaves, also signaled by Lydon. Every person in the ballpark, unless they were blind, knew the ball wasn't going to leave the park. However, league rule 1.04 (which may be amended even before you read this) states "... a batted ball that strikes the trees located in the outfield (LF/CF) above the chain link fence will be declared a homerun." Therefore, when manager Charlie Conners of the Pirates argued that it should be a home run, and not an out, he was absolutely correct by league rule. When appealed to me, given that Lydon had stated unequivocally that the ball hit the tree, there was no choice but to rule it a home run. As I said earlier, this rule will no doubt be amended before the next playoff series. OK, after the furor over that had died down, the Pirates scored another run on two walks and an error. That made it 4 - 3, Pirates. PSC got those two back in the bottom of the third on Pat Sullivan's two-run homer to left (which didn't hit anything except the street.) 5 - 4, Pat Simpson Club, and it stayed that way until the fifth inning.

Top of the fifth saw the Pirates tie it, on a single by Pat Wilson, a walk to Chris Armstrong, and a single by Jarrad Conley that scored Wilson. Brian Pacheco then singled to load the bases. Pat Pickup hit a hard grounder to Pat Sullivan at third. Sullivan stepped on the bag for one out, then fired across the diamond to Jay Allen at first for a second out. Meanwhile, Armstrong had stayed on third, but now took off and was out by tag at home - TRIPLE PLAY! It remained a 5 - 5 tie and "The Home Team" came into their dugout pumped. They used that newfound energy to break the tie. A single by Brian Goodman opened things; a walk to Jeff Kasper followed; Scott Simpson singled to load them up; Jay Allen forced Simpson at second, but Goodman scored, 6 - 5 now; Sullivan walked; then another fielder's choice, by Mike Garland, scored Kasper. it was 7 - 5 and the Simpson Club would never trail again.

Not that the Pirates didn't make it a bit hairy for them... They loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the sixth, but again a hard shot was hit to Pat Sullivan at third base. This time, he was "only" able to get a double play out of it, with the runner on third scoring, but that was all the black and gold scored that inning. A two-run Brian Goodman home run made it 9 - 6 in the bottom of the sixth, then the Pirates went relatively quietly in their last call.

Congratulations to the Pat Simpson Club for a hard-fought well-earned win in this series, three games to two.

Simpson Club wins series 3-2

Southside Tavern 14 - Lincoln Tavern 11

Lincoln took the early lead, but Southside caught up, passed them at 70 mph, then held on by their fingertips for the win.

A two-run homer by the hot Max Vigliotti gave Lincoln the advantage in the top of the first. Southside scored one in the bottom half. The teams reversed those numbers in the second, for a 3 - 3 tie after two. The next three innings were all Southside, as they plated nine for a 12 - 3 lead after five. Miguel "Lenky" Dupree was throwing gas and appeared to be in control. As sometimes happens, though, Lenky lost a bit of his strike-zone focus in the top of the sixth, giving up a couple of walks, sandwiching a single and a reached via error, for one Lincoln run. Then, with bases loaded and no one out, Jason Clucas stepped to the plate. He swung at a high pitch, but it worked. The ball fell clean and by the time the hustling Clucas stopped running, it was a grand slam and the score was 12 - 8. Mike Kent was next up and Micka took the more traditional path for a homer, over the left field fence, 12 - 9, still no outs. Jake Yagjian singled, but Lenky bore down to strike out Scott Hackett and get Sean Gorman and Andy Hillier on ground outs.

In the bottom of the sixth, Lenky (6 RBI) decided to get some back via a two-run homer to left, and it was 14 - 9 entering Lincoln's last call. They gave it a good shot. Joey Fabiano doubled. Al Porcaro singled him home. Adam Feinstein walked. Leo Evriviades singled home Porcaro, making it 14 - 11 with two on and still nobody out. The dangerous Marshall Chick and Max Vigliotti both grounded out, 5 to 3, leaving Feinstein on third and Evriviades on second with two out. Clucas walked, loading the bases and bringing the possible go-ahead run to the plate in the person of Micka Kent, who had launched one off of Dupree the previous inning, but Dupree got Kent to pop to Sandy Jonge in short left field to end it. Fun game. For Southside, Derek Dubois also homered and drove in three.

A big thank you goes out to Mike Selig, who once again provided a "Live" feed of the game through Facebook. Watching M Street Softball playoffs from 1,300 miles away is such a wonderful treat. It should be interesting to see what adjustments and which reinforcements are called upon for game two, tonight at 7:00.

Lincoln 23 - Southside 13

This was a lopsided affair fought by two undermanned teams. Lincoln played with nine all night and pitcher Drew Atton keeps battling new injuries; to go with his broken thumb, he now has bruised ribs from an auto accident over the weekend. Meanwhile, three or four of Southside's guys were hobbling around the bases with various maladies that limited their running abilities severely - and probably kept them from their usual range on the field, as well.

Lincoln took control of this one early. After Southside scored one in the top of the first, Lincoln plated 11 in the bottom of the frame. The biggest hit was a bases-loaded triple by Al Porcaro. Otherwise, it was all singles and walks and a couple of bad throws. And Lincoln didn't let up, scoring another six in the second, for a 17 - 1 lead after two. In that frame, it was two home runs that did the big damage - Andy Hillier to lead off and a three-run job by Jason "Goggs" Clucas. From there, Southside won the next three innings (cumulatively, 12 - 3) but that still left it at 20 - 13. And Lincoln put up another three in the bottom of the sixth to reach the final score of 23 - 13. Couple of interesting notes: Miguel Dupree came on to pitch in the third for Southside. Lenky struck out six in his four innings of work. Meanwhile, the kid with the broken thumb and bruised ribs on the other side, Drew Atton, had the only perfect night at the plate in the game - 4-for-4 with a walk, and four runs scored.

Southside 14 - Lincoln 13

The third game in this series was a fascinating one, with lots of interesting strategic moves.

As in game two, Lincoln got off to a quick start. The first eight batters reached, five of them via bases on balls. By the time the third out was recorded, Lincoln had batted through their lineup and jumped to a 6 - 0 lead on just TWO hits. And the same pattern began the second inning, with the first three batters walking. Then Jason Clucas stepped to the plate and scored them all, plus himself, with a grand slam. That was enough for Southside coach Danny Ekasala to prompt a pitching change, bringing in Jason "Eeka" Calnan in relief of the wild Miguel "Lenky" Dupree. Calnan didn't immediately stem the tide, giving up four hits, but he stranded three of them, and Lincoln held an 11 - 0 margin entering the bottom of the second.

Southside let it be known they weren't done, plating seven of their own in the bottom of the inning. All the scoring came with two outs. Choco Samuel led off with a single. Lincoln pitcher Drew Atton got the next two on flies to center, but Eric Merces doubled; Kevin "KO" O'Hara singled in two; Toco Soto singled; Atton elected to walk Dupree intentionally (one of five walks handed to Dupree - three go in the books as intentional, but really all five of them were as Drew didn't give him anything to hit on the other two); Pat Dolbeare singled in one, leaving the bases loaded, two out; Mike Selig singled in two more; then Johnny Manning and Samuel finished the run producing. 11 - 7, Lincoln led after two innings.

Lincoln put another on the board in the third courtesy of an RBI single by the very hot Scott Hackett (8 of 9, plus a walk, combined in this game and the previous one). Southside scored two of their own in their half and the score was 12 - 9, Lincoln, heading into the fourth. A couple of defensive changes had been made - Ekasala had started in left for Southside, but Selig DH'ed for him rather than the pitching spot. When Calnan went in to pitch, Ekasala took himself out, sent Dupree to left, and that left Selig as the DH for Calnan's spot. Now Sandy Jonge was sent in to play shortstop, Merces came out and O'Hara came from the outfield to take over catching duties. Meanwhile, Leo Evriviades, a fine outfielder for Lincoln, had seriously pulled a groin and had to come in to play 1B (Lincoln had only 10 players available) Andy Hillier, who had been playing 1B, went into right field and Adam Feinstein took over in center for Evriviades. Whew!

OK, now - if you've caught up with all the changes - we come to a stretch where this game became a serious pitchers duel. Through the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, both Atton and Calnan gave up just one hit each. The score remained 12 - 9, Lincoln, as we headed into the seventh. After two quick outs, Atton (batting .750 in the series) singled. The very hobbled Evriviades put one on the ground where nobody could get to it. Marshall Chick also singled, loading the bases, and Max Vigliotti walked to bring in an insurance run, 13 - 9. Jason Clucas once again stepped to the plate with bases loaded (remember, he hit a grand slam in the second inning...) and Goggs hit one that, off the bat, everyone in the park probably thought was another grannie. However, the wind - remnants of Hurricane Jose, and I'd estimate at maybe 30 mph? - knocked it down and it was caught in left field for the third out (earlier in the game, Pat Dolbeare had suffered a similar fate for Southside with two on. The wind was wicked.)

So now we have Southside coming up needing four to tie - or five to win. Nate Mattson led off with a walk (the only true unintentionl walk Atton gave up.) After an out, Jonge singled. O'Hara singled to drive in one. Soto doubled in two. Now we have a 13 - 12 Lincoln lead, man on second, one out. Lenky Dupree represented the possible winning run, but he was issued ANOTHER intentional pass, putting the winning run on base and bringing Patsy Dolbeare to the plate. He responded by singling, scoring O'Hara with the run that tied it at 13. Atton elected to issue another free pass to the dangerous Mike Selig, bringing Johnny Manning to the plate with bases loaded. And Manning singled cleanly to left to end this very entertaining game in Southside's favor, 14 - 13. They lead the series, 2 - 1, and can now clinch a return trip to the finals with one more win tonight.

Southside Tavern 13 - Lincoln Tavern 2

Southside returns to the finals to defend their championship via a 13 - 2 victory over Lincoln Tavern. Southside wins this series, three games to one.

Interesting managerial move by Danny Ekasala. What with Lincoln walking Miguel "Lenky" Dupree five times in the previous game, Danny moved Lenky up to the leadoff position, and backed him up with two dangerous power hitters in the two and three spots (Sammy "Ballgame" MacDonald and Mike Selig) in hopes that they'd pitch to Dupree rather than take the bat out of his hands. Lincoln did pitch to him in the top of the first and Lenky responded with a single (he ended up on second on a misplay of the ball in the outfield.) Overall, he went 3-for-4 with a walk and is batting an astounding .826 (OB% of .879) for the playoffs.

After Dupree reached second, MacDonald doubled him in. Selig singled. Toco Soto doubled, scoring MacDonald. A sac fly by Kevin "KO" O'Hara scored Selig. Then Derek Dubois (who is actually outhitting Lenky, at .842!) homered to drive in two more. It was 5 - 0, Southside, entering bottom of the first. Marshall Chick led off for Lincoln by putting one out on East 1st Street, to make it a 5 - 1 game, but that was as close as Lincoln would get all evening. Southside put up four more in the third, on an RBI single by Johnny Manning (4-for-4) and a three-run homer by Nate Mattson. Another two scored in the fifth on Dubois's second home run of the night and a Donis Gerdino sac fly. Then another two in the sixth via Toco Soto's run-scoring single and Dubois's fourth hit of the evening, which scored Selig. Meanwhile, pitcher Jason "Eeka" Calnan was very effective in limiting Lincoln's production. The only earned run he gave up was Chick's leadoff home run. Calnan was helped by some fine defensive play at 3B by Sammy Ballgame, who snagged three liners, got the assist on four grounders, and started a 5 - 4 - 3 double play in the fourth inning on a hot shot off the bat of Jason Clucas.

The defending champs now await the result of the deciding game five in the Loco Pirates - Pat Simpson Club series.

Southside wins series 3-1

It's not too often you can point to a 20 - 5 game and say the game wasn't as competitive as the score indicates, but this was one of those. Southside just demolished Pizza in this one. They scored five in the first, then 13 in the second. Home runs by Kevin "K.O." O'Hara, Danny Ekasala and Derek Dubois did the major damage in inning two. Meanwhile, Miguel "Lenky" Dupree threw four innings and gave up one hit (3 walks, 2 Ks). Then, in the bottom of the fourth, Lenky put a ball over the brown wall and... well, the Norweign Dawn cruise ship was docked about 500 feet from home plate and...well, below is a photo of the damage Dupree's homerun caused to the ship. Mercy!

In one of the highest-scoring softball games in league history, Southside Tavern punched their ticket to the semi-finals. I won't go play-by-play here because it would take me as long to type it all up as this game took to complete (about two hours.) Suffice to say that Southside was the superior squad, but Village Pizza never quits and they came back to tie the game twice during the course of the evening. It was tied at nine, after three complete, but Southside pulled away after that and maintained a lead thereafter (although they couldn't mercy the doughboys - they had a chance, up by 13 going into the bottom of the sixth, but Pizza scored five to keep it alive.) Props to Brendan Stanley of Village Pizza. Apparently, vicious pitching is his meat, as he went 4-for-4 against Eric Merces and Miguel "Lenky" Dupree, leading all batters on the evening with EIGHT runs batted in. His only out - a fly to right center - came against Jason "Eeka" Calnan in the 7th. For the winners, five men accounted seven home runs. They were Dupree, Kevin "K.O." O'Hara, Derek Dubois, and two each from Sammy "Ballgame" MacDonald and Mike Selig (6 RBI). None of those guys was leader in RBI for Southside, though. That honor went to Johnny Manning, who drove in seven via four singles and a sac fly. Southside now faces heavy-hitting Lincoln Tavern in the semi-finals - and if they can't get outs at a better pace than they did against Village Pizza in this one, then it could be a very long night.

Southside wins series 2-0

Banshee had the lead all night, but Pat Simpson Club pulled it out in the bottom of the seventh, 12 - 11. Banshee had a 7 - 1 lead into the bottom of the third; 10 -4 into the bottom of the fifth; and 11 - 10 going into Simpson's last call, but a Pat Sullivan reached to lead off. After being forced at second, he went back to first to run for pitcher Mike Garland. Brian Donovan singled. Bobby Gomes walked to load the bases with one out. Chris Flaherty singled to score Sullivan, tying the game, and Marky Goodman singled in Donovan to win it. Scotty Simpson was 4-for-4 with four RBI. Mike Garland struck out three while giving up only four earned.

This time, it was Banshee coming from behind to win, 12 - 10, and the series is tied at one each. Banshee jumped out 3 - 0 after one. Both sides scored one run in the second, making it 4 - 1. After a scoreless third, Simpsons took advantage of an infield error to plate six unearned (the inning started with a fly out, the error, then another fly out, so it should have been done after three hitters.) Credit to Simpsons, though, as they strung together clutch hits and walks to take advantage, and a 7 - 4 lead. Bottom of the fourth saw Banshee come back to tie it, taking advantage of a Simpsons error for one of the runs to come around. Brian Hurld's sac fly put Simpsons back on top, 8 - 7, entering bottom of the fifth (Hurld had a HR, a triple, and three RBI on the night.) Banshee then worked two-out magic in the bottom of the frame, with five consecutive hits and four runs scored, making it 11 - 8 in their favor. Simpsons came back again in the top of the sixth, with Jay Allen's triple plating Brian Donovan and then Chris Flaherty's sac fly scoring Allen, making it 11 - 10, Banshee. Banshee took advantage of another couple of errors to score an insurance run, and Simpsons entered their last call needing two to tie. With two out, they loaded the bases, but Jack Atton induced a 3-to-4 grounder from the dangerous Allen and Banshee had the series tied. The deciding game will go on Monday the 11thnd should be another back and forth dandy. Tickets can be purchased at point of entry.

After two very tight contests to start this series, the deciding game was all Simpson Club. Pitcher Mike Garland's six strikeout performance held Banshee at bay, while Simpson batters reached 21 times in the five-inning contest. Brian Hurld's three-run homer started the scoring in the first and his two-run shot was the mercy-rule walk-off. Chris Flaherty also homered. Marky Goodman led his team with three hits. The Simpsons also threw some leather, with OF Bobby Gomes gunning down a runner at home and 1B Jay Allen fielding a grounder and making a full-layout flying dive to beat the hitter to the bag. Simpson now wait the result of the Southside-Village Pizza series to see if they will face the Loco Pirates or Village Pizza.

Simpson Club wins series 2-1

No contest in game one of this series. Pirates put up 7 in the first and never looked back. Brian Pacheco was solid, with none earned and only four hits allowed. That gives Cheeks a string of 12 innings to start the playoffs with no earned runs allowed. For the offense, Marc Montesano had a double and two home runs, driving in eight, in his three AB.

The Loco Pirates showed off their power tonight, hitting six home runs on their way to a 13 - 1 series clinching win over the Kekambas. Josh "Trooper" McKelligan, Pat "Dub" Wilson, Gregg Bosse, Steve Stalcup, Rob Rogers and Chris Armstrong had the four-baggers. For the defense, Brian Pacheco was once again strong. Cheeks did give up the one run - the first earned run against him in three playoff games thus far. Kekambas had a good season and will no doubt come back stronger next year.

The Pirates win series 2-0

With both teams missing some key players, Lincoln Tavern filled the gaps a bit better and won, 16 - 11, to take a 1 - 0 lead in this series. Max Vigliotti had a home run and five RBI, while Al Porcaro added a two-run shot. Gutsy story in this one, though, was pitcher Drew Atton. Lincoln started the game with eight players. First batter for Thirst, Johnny Rigopolous, singled to left and, seeing no one at second base, tried to stretch it into a double. Drew bolted there to cover and he received the throw and tagged Rigs out. However, in the process, his thumb was bent back and - I assume, from my own experience with a similar play years ago - was broken. With eight players, though, Drew just put his glove back on - painfully - and went back to pitching. He caught throws back to him with his pitching hand rather than with the glove. His teammates got him enough runs to make this a bit easier for him, but he was obviously hurting. He also had to bat, so he did so one-handed; the next time up, he tried lefty. Finally, in the seventh with the game still in some doubt (14 - 9, Lincoln) Drew came up with two on and two out. He batted righty, gritted his teeth, and drove a ball back up the middle, driving in two and hustling to second base. Sorry if I've gone overboard, but it was a great performance by an injured player and deserves applause. For Thirst, besides breaking Drew's thumb, Johnny Rigs had a home run and drove in three.

This one started as though it might be Thirst's night. Their first eight batters all reached and six of them scored. After that, though, it was entirely Lincoln Tavern. Drew Atton - pitching with the broken thumb he got in game two - held Thirst to four hits over the final four innings. Meanwhile, his teammates put up seven in their half of the first, to take a lead; added four in the second; another six in the fourth; then got two in the bottom of the fifth for the mercy killing. Six home runs for Lincoln in this one - Leo Evriviades, Sean Gorman (5 RBI), Marshall Chick (4 runs scored), Jason Clucas, and two from Max Vigliotti. Lincoln wins the series, 2 - 0, and will now face either Southside Tavern or the Local Pirates in the semi-finals.

Lincoln Tavern wins series 2-0

Brian Pacheco shines on the mound as he leads the Pirates to victory in the elimination round. Considering they are a first year club, City Tap showed they could contend with the heavyweights as they were right in this game to the very end. The Pirates will find out who their next opponent as the completion of the elimination round.

Although it's not considered an upset when an "A" club knocks out a "B" team, this game was a bit of an upset as Roza Lyons came in first place and had a strong showing all season long. However, tonight just wasn't their night as they fell behind early and couldn't string enough hits together to knock big man pitcher Gil Ward off his game. Dave Hoerburger was the hitting star this evening as he drove in six of Thirst's seven runs...way to go Dave!

Elevated Realty scored first, but it was all Kekambas after that. Pete Kelich stranded nine Elevated runners over the final six innings, while his teammates scored seven runs, and Kekambas advance to the quarter-finals, 7 - 1. Kelich also had a home run, but Will Kiriazidis was the big bat with a three-run shot in the third and five RBI overall.

Southside Tavern started their title defense in the playoffs with a 17 - 5 victory over Handdukies. It was a spirited affair, with lots of back-and-forth between players and a goodly amount of spurring it on from the stands. Five home runs (one by Mike Selig, and two each from Toco Soto and Miguel "Lenky" Dupree) did the job. The Dukies, as always led by the irrepressible Brian Walsh, had fun all night and fought hard - a couple of Sportscenter highlight catches by Billy Kiley in CF and Mike Jay at 1B were a treat - but Southside just had too much firepower for the boys from Dorchester on this night.

Village Pizza put their first seven batters on-base, five of them scored, and they never relinquished the lead in a 17 - 7 victory over last year's Cinderella team, STATS Sluggers. Eddie Blum, T.K. Skendarian and Eric Archembault had three hits each, with Archembault driving in four. The Doughboys become the second "B" team to get through to the quarter-finals.

Pitcher Drew Atton celebrated his 25th birthday by giving up just one earned run to Playwright. Meanwhile, Max Vigliotti had a home run and four RBI, while Patrick Irvine powered two round-trippers deep to right field and drove in five.

In a sloppily-played game by both sides, The Banshee took down VK's Club, 15 - 10. There were only 11 earned runs among the 25 total scored. All credit to Banshee, though, as they came back from a 10 - 4 deficit to advance. Brian Stanton had three RBI, while veteran Jack Atton held VK's to no score over the last three innings. Pat McDonagh, pitcher for The Lost Boys, deserved better. Aside from striking out three, and only giving up six earned of the 15 scored against him, he also had a perfect night at the plate (W, 2B, 3B, HR).

PGH (Pitches Get Hit) gave a serious scare to the Pat Simpson Club, taking a 7 - 2 lead into the bottom of the fifth, but Simpsons scored five to tie it, then another 12 in the sixth to mercy the stunned PGH. Kevin Johnston's grand slam gave PGH the early lead, but the home team finally put it together over the final two innings and advanced. Chris Flaherty had a double and two triples; Brian Goodman drove in five, with a three-run homer included; Scotty Simpson had two doubles and drove in two; Jeff Kaspar had a two-run homer; and Pat Sullivan drove in three with a bases-loaded double in the very decisive sixth inning (12 men reached before an out was recorded, then the next.batter - Brian Goodman - ended it with a single that scored Chris Flaherty.) The Simpsons now get the other winner from tonight, Banshee, in the quarter-finals.