ALOMAR DIVISION

In the Championship Semifinals, the #2 Thunderbirds defeated the #3 Austin Senators 6-5-1. The Senators lead 8-2-2 going into Sunday but lost several close calls on the final day. The Thunderbirds won runs by one, RBI by 3, batting average by .004, slugging percentage by .001, and innings pitched by 1.1. (Do I feel sorry for myself? Yes I do.) In the other semifinal, the #4 Horse Field Hammers pounded the top-seeded Toronto Walrus 11-1-0. The Walrus got dreadful performances from Randy Johnson, Matt Clement and Todd Jones, while the Hammers enjoyed strong efforts from John Patterson and Carlos Zambrano. The Thunderbirds and Hammers face off in a two-week battle for the Alomar Division Championship, while the Walrus and Senators vie for third and fourth. Ghost Man On Third defeated the Gashouse Gorillas 7-5-0 to take fifth place.

In the Consolation Semifinals, both top seeds found that a week of rest did not good. The #11 Chatsworth Halos defeated the #7 Reykjavik Fish Candy 9-3-0, and the #9 Eastern Shore Birds thumped #8 Mebion Glyndwyr 10-1-1. The Halos and Birds will play for the Consolation Championship, with Candy and Glyndwyr fighting for 9th. Homer Jays Simpsons defeated the Red Mosquitos 7-4-1 to take 11th place.

BARFIELD DIVISION

The #2 Jay’s Ehs stomped on #3 WAMCO 9-3-0 to take one of the Championship semifinals. WAMCO amassed a ridiculous 124 innings pitched with eight wins and seven saves but could not take any other category. In the other semifinal, #5 Schroedinger’s Bat knocked off the #1 Mighty Midgets 7-5-0. The Bat combined a well-rounded offensive performance with just enough pitching, while the Midgets’ offense didn’t do much beyond stealing eleven bases. With the victory, Schroedinger’s Bat will play Jay’s Ehs for the Championship and has the opportunity to advance to the Alomar Division. WAMCO will play the Midgets for third and will advance to Alomar only if Jay’s Ehs win. The #6 Burlington Mazsters defeated #4 Team Junior Felix for fifth place.

In the Consolation Bracket, the top-seeded European Wannabe will face the Pistol Nine. #7 European Wannabe won a tight 7-5-0 decision over the #12 Jick’s Rays, and the #8 Nine squeaked by #11 Monkeymen Cubed 6-5-1. Another pitching win or a couple of strikeouts would have given the Men the win. The Monkeymen will battle the Rays for ninth. The #10 Lubumbashi Posse defeated the #9 Middleclass Elitists 11-0-1 for eleventh place.

CARTER DIVISION

The Championship bracket featured two exceptionally close contests. #1 Baseball North slid by #5 Three Bucks On A Hun 6-5-1. Either one more run or .001 in OBP would have given the Hun the victory. On the other side, #3 Pohnpei Papayas tied #2 Magic 9 5-5-2 and advanced by virtue of a better ERA. The teams finished separated by one run, two RBI, 0.39 of ERA and 0.04 of K/BB. The Papayas have assured advancement to the Barfield Division regardless of how they perform against Baseball North in the Championship. Magic 9 and Three Bucks will settle for a fight over third place. #4 Dr. Z’s Hot Men defeated #6 Bodell’s Bashers for fifth place.

The rested #7 Angry Gnomes torched the #10 @$$kickers 11-1-0 to reach the finals of the Consolation bracket. #9 Garth Iorg Gremlins defeated #8 Team Balla by the unusual score of 5-4-3. The Gremlins and Balla finished tied in steals, wins and batting average. The Gremlins and Gnomes will play for the Championship, while the Kickers and Balla play for ninth. The #11 New Jersey Stratuses beat the #12 Mechanical Brains 7-4-0 to take eleventh place.