CLOCK TAVERN SLUGGERS vs PAT SIMPSON CLUB

Although Pinkston is their star and ace pitcher, they are not at all a one dimensional team. Their roster has been bulked up to the point where many of their role or fringe players have been replaced with stars. Yelir Peguero (.583, 10 RBI), Danny Seppattini (.556, 4 HR, 23 RBI), and Albert Tejeda (.727, 5 HR, 16 RBI) have each made a huge impact in the lineup and on the field.

Along with the above mentioned, PSC still has their core players who continue to produce year after year. Mark Goodman (.605, 15 RBI), Brian Goodman (.487, 16 runs), Pat Dolbeare (.600, 10 runs), Miguel Dupree (.625, 13 RBI), Matt Savage (.455, 21 runs), Patrick Triggs (.579, 14 RBI), the list goes on and on. There's a solid hitter up and down the lineup so pitching around any one player is only going to lead to more trouble.

Backing up Pinkston are two pitchers who would be starters on any other team in the league - Mike Garland (3-0, 2.19 ERA, 2019 MVP) and Miguel Dupree (career stats: 13-4, 3.64 ERA). They are armed, ready, and well rested for a long series.

Is this the year the Simpson Club returns to glory? Their last championship came in 2019 and that team was led by players who might not have been as talented as this bunch but they played with heart. Does this team have what it takes? I think so...they have the leadership (Shawn Feeley), star power, and still have some of those gutsy players who demand the most from their teammates when the going gets tough.

They got here by having the league's best record (13-3) and finishing in first place. That meant they received a preliminary round bye. Once the dust settled they were then paired against Publico (9-7), a quality opponent. The Simpson Club swept them in two not so close games. Nest up, they faced the Loco Stew Jays in the semi finals. The young Jays were overmatched the first two games and then fought hard in game three but ultimately got swept too. That makes them 5-0 in the playoffs and only challenged once. Will they be ready for championship starved Clock Tavern? Only time will tell.

Members of the Simpson Club look relaxed and ready for another championship run

In sports, there always seems to be that team that was always right there but for several different reasons they just couldn't get over the top and win it all. Clock Tavern has played that role lately and would like nothing more than to shed that image and break through with a championship. For the past four seasons they have run straight into teams that will go down as some of the very best in the history of M Street Softball. Twice they were knocked out of the playoffs by Lincoln Tavern (20, 21, & 23 champs) and twice by the Simpson Club (19 champs). The playoffs have not been too kind to this squad made up of gentlemen players.

They play a fundamental brand of softball where defense and pitching has led them to many tight victories during the regular season. They have three steady and reliable arms in Erik Mercedes (3-3, 5.52 ERA), Chris Pope (3-1, 5.70), and Tom Kazanowski (5-1, 4.72). If there is a knock against them then it would only be their inability to completely shutdown an opponent and dominate a game.

Their lineup has some star power in newcomer Juan Herrera (.720, 17 RBI), and veterans Phil Sciretta (.583, 17 RBI), Robb Scott (.625, 20 RBI), Jake Smith (.611, 14 RBI), and EJ Martinez (.586, 9 runs). However, it's the role players who will need to produce against the league's best pitcher (Pinkston) in order for Clock to have a puncher's chance in this series. Kyle Desjardins, Dan Fratus, Nolan Freeman, Oliver Hart, Jack Hockington, and Kevin Miller are just a few of the players who will be called upon to produce in some very tight situations.

The Sluggers (11-5) finished in third place just missed out via a tie breaker on receiving a preliminary round bye. Instead, they ousted the Shamrock Pub in two very high scoring games. The quarter finals followed and they were paired against Telegraph Hill - a team that is very much like themselves. They play good defense, get good pitching, and get timely hits. Clock swept them in two games - one of them a blowout. The semi-finals saw them matched up against La Familia and they quickly took the first two games of the series. However, La Familia got an outstanding pitching performance from Juan Santana in game three to save their season. Santana wasn't able to duplicate the feat in game four as Clock won the game and the series. It's important to note that although they were shutdown in game three, they came back the next night and hit the same pitcher hard.

The Clock Tavern Sluggers are a team on a mission

SHEA'S TAVERN vs ROZA LYONS

Two of those teams finished with identical records (7-9) and would say their season was a bit of a roller coaster. The losses came early and often for both but then the move came and both found success. Shea's won their last five games to go from the bottom of the standings to a respectable fifth place. Let's take a look at what chances these two teams have at capturing the FEENEY division championship.

Roza Lyons at one point was 1-6 and were getting crushed every game. After the move into the Feeney division, they went 6-3 and found that playing softball with your buddies could be a lot of fun. Jake Thomas and JJ Barrett make the roster decisions and put together the lineup for each night. They will have some tough decisions to make as they have a lot of players (16) to manage.

Their offense is led by Nick Hicks (.649, 19 runs) and Bob Chmiel (.491, 19 runs). Win or lose, these two will be a factor in every game. JJ Barrett (.588, 13 runs), Mike Cahill (.583), James McNiff (.400, 14 runs), Connor Meagher (.419, 12 runs), Matt Morris (.560, 9 RBI), and Matt Prokop (.467, 18 RBI) round out the main run producers and will be counted on each game.

On the mound, the ball will be in the hand of Patrick Cooke (6-4, 7.00 ERA). Cooke doesn't walk batters but does give up a couple of hits per inning. That means the Roza defense will have to make plays behind him with men on base. In three outings this season, Cooke allowed three or fewer runs so there is potential of him pitching well enough to be the deciding factor in a couple of these games.

Roza's path to the finals hasn't been an easy one. Their quarter final opponent, Seapoint Slammers, took them to three games and they needed some late inning magic to get past them. In the semi-finals they squared off against the Silkworms and swept them in three closely contested games. Now they face Shea's Tavern in a best of five series - a team they split the season series against and one that can literally go either way. It's a toss up which should make for a great series.

Like Roza Lyons, Shea's also had a very rough beginning to their 2024 softball season. They were 0-6 before the division switch and then won two in a row and won five straight games to close out their regular season schedule. The move gave them a second chance and they along with Roza's are making the best of it.

Shea's is led by Ryan Wynns who also happens to be their best player - .633 batting average with 22 runs scored and 15 RBI makes him a tough out on any night. Alex Bergeron (.545, 17 runs, 16 RBI), Quillen Bradlee (.429), Mike Dalessio (.476, 18 runs, 13 RBI), Mike Ferrara (.482, 18 runs, 30 RBI), Mike Nelson (.500, 16 runs), and Nick Oneil (.585, 12 runs) will be the iron of the lineup.

On the mound, Shea's has two pitchers to select from. Will Murray (5-5, 7.21 ERA) and Mike Keogh (2-4, 9.88 ERA) with Murray carrying more of the work load. In his five playoff games pitched this season, Murray has given up an average of 10 runs per game. That's probably three or more runs higher than where Shea's will need him to be to give them their best chance at winning the championship. Keogh on the other hand, pitched all three games against the Greatest Bar and didn't give up more than 8 earned runs. It's a toss up and Wynns will have some tough calls to make on who he hands the ball to in each game of this series.

Shea's got to the finals after nearly being eliminated by Shannon Tavern. They lost their first game and were trailing in game two but rallied to win it and the nest one. They took on the top seed, Greatest Bar, in the semi-finals and beat them in four tightly played games. Now here they are taking on Roza Lyons who are another great match for this squad.

So who wins the MORAN? Who wins the FEENEY? This writer feels Jimmy Pinkston is going to prove to be too much to handle for the Clock Tavern Sluggers - PSC in five memorable games. The Feeney series is also tough to call - I see lots of high scoring games (20+ runs combined) but I think Shea's is just a little better overall and will take the championship in four games.

Folks, get to the park this week to catch the action - good luck to the four contending teams! Regardless of the outcome, you're competing and giving everything you have which makes you all winners in my book.