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CURSES! The fifth time isn't the charm for one of CSA's benchmark franchises. It's All About the Beer has been a part of the CSA co-ed softball program from its inception and has appeared in five championship games in six seasons. They have finished second all five times. In the 2001 Spring Saturday league at Piedmont Park, It's All About the Beer, the second seed, fell in the championship game to IRFA 9-5, an individual team created by CSA and captained by Adam Klein. In the 2001 Summer Saturday league at Frankie Allen Park, It's All About the Beer, the top seed, became the first team in 18 championship games to lose to a second seeded team when they fell to CSA VP Roger Werner's We're Not Hungover squad 10-9. In the 2002 Spring/Summer Saturday league It's All About the Beer finished first in their division and blew through the field to get to the finals in the first CSA co-ed double elimination playoff. There they faced Loaded Bats, captained by their old nemesis, Adam Klein. In the game, It's All About the Beer self destructed in the sixth and seventh innings, allowing 11 runs and falling 19-10. In the 2002 Fall Sunday league at Frankie Allen Park, It's All About the Beer once again returned to the championship game. This time the second seed would have to face another budding dynasty. Peaked In High School, the top seed, was going for their fourth consecutive championship. After falling behind early, It's All About the Beer made a furious comeback that fell just short, and they lost their fourth title game, 19-18. In the 2003 Spring Saturday league, It's All About the Beer was looking to break the Brew Crew curse. 16 of the 18 teams qualified for the post-season tournament. In the first round their were no surprises as all eight top seeds, including seventh seeded It's All About the Beer, advanced. The first round victories set up several intriguing match-ups for the quarter-finals and semi-finals. In the quarter-finals, It's All About the Beer faced the second seed, Homewreckers. Even though It's All About the Beer was the lower seed and the visitors, they were still considered the favorite to advance. They knew this, but they sure didn't play like it. They trailed 8-3 after five and 11-7 going into the seventh inning. In the seventh they scored two runs and then with two outs Chad Wade hit a triple that scored Travis York and Brad Hartman. On the play, the ball hit Wade and he was able to score on the play with the go ahead run. Homewreckers tied the game at 12 in the bottom of the seventh and the game went to extra innings. In the eighth, It's All About the Beer put four runs on the board and seemed in command. Homewreckers didn't roll over though. They scored two runs, and with two outs they had two runners on and the winning run at the plate. A grounder to second was easily handled and It's All About the Beer escaped the quarterfinals with a 16-14 victory in eight innings. In the semi-finals, It's All About the Beer faced another higher seed that was considered the underdog. The Hoy Crew, the third seed, was simply overmatched by the playoff tested It's All About the Beer squad. It's All About the Beer jumped out to a 10-1 lead after three innings and cruised to a 17-7 victory in six innings. The win advanced It's All About the Beer to their fifth championship game. Once again It's All About the Beer would play in a title game against Adam Klein's team. D.O.D. was the fourth seed and coming off a win over Team Roger. This time It's All About the Beer faced a team that had as much playoff experience as they did, and two titles under their belt. In the title game, It's All About the Beer came out flat and went down in order in the first. In the bottom of the inning, they allowed two runs on three hits and two sacrifices. It's All About the Beer responded in the second inning. After a one out double by Brad Hartman, Chad Wade followed with an inside the park homerun to tie the game. The game was tied after an inning and a half, and then It's All About the Beer got a little lucky in the bottom of the second. With the bases loaded and one out, a line shot up the middle deflected off of the pitcher's, Michael Medina-Brodski, glove, right into the shortstop's, Travis York, mitt. What should have been a two run single turned into an inning ending double play when York stepped on second to double up the D.O.D. runner. The score was 2-2 after two. That was the score at the end of the third inning as well. In the fourth the momentum swung again. It's All About the Beer plated three runs in the top of the inning after an error put leadoff batter James Estes on second and the next batter, Cathi Dugger, was walked. After a line-out, Tara Gilmore singled to score Estes, and Hartman followed with a double to score Dugger. After a groundout, an error allowed Gilmore to score to make it 5-2. In the bottom of the fourth, two walks gave D.O.D. second and third with one out, but Medina-Brodski got a line-out and a groundout to escape from the jam. In the fifth, the momentum swung again. After a leadoff walk to Patti Stuczynski, a fly out was followed by a line-out to the pitcher that was turned into a double play to end the inning. In the bottom of the fifth D.O.D. rallied with three runs. An error, mixed in with four singles, produced the three runs. After five innings, it was tied at five. It's All About the Beer reclaimed the lead in the top of the sixth with one run, but it could have been much more. After James Estes led off the sixth with a walk that advanced him to second, Travis York drove him in with a one out single. With two outs, Hartman was robbed by a spectacular fielding play in right center. With two outs and one runner on, Hartman hit a shot that looked like it was headed into the gap for extra bases. Instead it landed in the right-centerfielders glove on a running catch. In the bottom of the inning It's All About the Beer prevented their opponent from scoring and the score remained 6-5 entering the final inning. It's All About the Beer was one inning away from their elusive first championship. In the top of the seventh, It's All About the Beer was the victim of more outstanding outfield play. A certain hit for Chad Wade was taken away by a diving catch in rightfield to start the inning, and after a groundout to pitcher, Daniel Vo was thrown out at second trying to extend a single into a double. It's All About the Beer still led going into the bottom of the seventh. They recorded outs on the first two batters and were now only one out away from victory, with no runners on. A pop up double put the tying run on second and after a walk put the winning run on first, the game came to the crossroads. The winning runs were on base, but It's All About the Beer was one out away from a title. Brad Hartman nearly snagged a rope in right-centerfield for the final out, but the ball just barely got past his glove and rolled to the wall. The hit scored both runners and It's All About the Beer had suffered yet another heartbreaking defeat. This was the third time that It's All About the Beer lost a title game by one run, and the fifth time that the winning run scored in the sixth inning or later. Click here for the Championship Game Boxscore IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BEER
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