OPENED UP
9/11/03

Can O Whoop Ass wins three dramatic games in one night to capture the Thursday Aviation co-ed softball crown.

Can O Whoop Ass, the fourth seed, capped an improbable run by knocking off the seventh seeded Turbo Swiners in the championship game 15-11 and became only the second team in CSA history to win three games in one night, and they are first team to win the games consecutively (no rest period between games)

After starting out 0-3, Can O Whoop Ass rebounded on the strength of the leagues second best offense and finished 4-3. The four game run moved Can all the way up to fourth place in the twelve team division and that meant a first round bye.

After the bye, they faced the fifth seed, I'm Okay With It. During the regular season Can destroyed Okay, winning 22-4. The playoffs were a different story.

The game started out and looked like it would be another rout. I'm Okay was held scoreless in the top of the first and Can opened up with three runs. That would be the highest scoring half inning of the game.

The teams traded one run innings back and forth and after five complete innings, Can O Whoop Ass led 6-3. I'm Okay With It got two back in the top of the sixth and held Can scoreless in the bottom half of the inning. Going into the seventh, it was a one run game.

In the bottom of the seventh, the COWA defense held strong and did not allow the tying run to score. Can O Whoop Ass survived a nail biter 6-5 and advanced to the semi-finals.

In the semis, COWA would take on the top seed, Ballbusters. During the regular season, Ballbusters defeated COWA with a walk off home run on "Little Fenway".

Knowing that another poor offensive performance would end their season, COWA came out with more urgency at the plate. A three run first was followed by a four run second and after two innings the score was 7-2. After four full innings, Can still had a five run lead at 8-3 and it looked like the upset was possible.

Going into the bottom of the sixth, Can O Whoop Ass led Ballbusters 10-4 and needed to protect a six run lead with six more outs to get. With the pressure mounting, Can had their worst defensive inning of the night. Ballbusters mixed key walks with  timely hits and fielding and throwing errors by Can and scored six runs to tie the game. Can held on just enough to make Ballbusters strand two runners and send the game to the seventh tied.

In the seventh, Brian Patterson doubled with two outs and Leland Dombrowsky drove him in with a single to give COWA the lead back. One run is all Can could muster and the outcome of another playoff game was in doubt in the seventh inning. Ballbusters put the tying run on second with one out, and advanced the runner to third. With two outs, they tying run was 60 feet away. Ballbusters looked like they would tie the game, but Can shortstop Mark Bryant snagged a line grounder in the hole and gunned the Ballbuster runner at first to end the game and send Can O Whoop Ass to the championship game with a second straight one run win.

In the finals, Can O Whoop Ass was facing another team that got a bit of good luck on the road to the finals. Turbo Swiners entered the tournament as the seventh seed. After routing Team McHuet in the opening round, 23-6, an executive decision gave them a forfeit win over three time defending champion, the second seeded Independents. Then in the semis, they put a spanking on the third seeded Grizzly Cubs, 30-13.

With a new champion ready to be crowned, the finals opened as a nervous affair.

Turbo kept their offense going in the top of the first, putting four runs up to start the game. Can answered right back. Matt Knetchel hit a three run home run to start the game and COWA added four more runs. The seven runs in total gave Can a three run lead but it could have been more. Can left the bases loaded.

In the second, Turbo chipped away the lead with two runs and it was 7-6. In the bottom of the inning, Can got one of those runs back, but again missed a golden opportunity when they left the bases loaded. They had bases loaded with only one out and failed to score any additional runs.

Entering the third it was two run game. Turbo got one more, but in the bottom of the inning, COWA set out to secure the title. A seven run barrage opened what would prove to be an insurmountable lead. The score was 15-7 at the end of three innings, and even though Can would not score another run, their defense was able to hold off Turbo long enough.

In the fourth Turbo got two runs and they added one more in the fifth. Entering the final two innings it was 15-10. Turbo was held scoreless in the sixth, so they entered the final inning trailing by five.

Turbo got the lead runner on, but two quick outs left Turbo down to their final batter. A hit scored one run, but Can O Whoop Ass pitcher Bryan Portnoy got the next Turbo batter to hit an easy pop up to short centerfield and when Can shortstop Mark Bryant squeezed the ball for the final out, Can O Whoop Ass had completed their three game sweep to win the Thursday Aviation Summer Co-ed Softball title.

CAN O WHOOP ASS
starting line-up

1. PAUL MOORE - 1B
2. TRACY SCHELL - LCF
3. MATT KNETCHEL - RCF
4. MARK BRYANT - SS
5. CATHI DUGGER - 3B
6. BRYAN PORTNOY - P
7. PATTI STUCZYNSKI - C/2B
8. REBECCA CAMPITELLA - 2B/C
9. BRIAN PATTERSON - LF
10. LELAND DOMBROWSKY - RF