THE PEAK IS REACHED!
Peaked in High School adds their first CSA championship by knocking off Pete Rose Bets on Us.

Regular season co-champion, Peaked In High School plays a superb defensive game to defeat regular season co-champion, Pete Rose Bets on Us 11-6, and claim their first CSA championship

After finishing the season in a four way tie for first place, both Pete Rose Bets on Us and Peaked In High School cruised through the playoffs on the road to the championship.

On the strength of good karma, Pete Rose Bets on Us eliminated the fifth seed, Helmets With Handlebars, in the quarters, and the first seed, Vandelay Industries, in the semi-finals. In the semis, Pete Rose turned a 9-5 deficit into a 17-9 lead in one half inning. They plated 12 runs in the top of the fifth and the game was over.

Peaked in High School also had strong karma on their side. The eventual champs routed sixth seeded Last Call in the quarters, 18-8, and seventh seed Batting For Beers, 10-4, in the semis. The Peaked games were marked by high wind and then a brief rain that affected play, but Peaked was unaffected and cruised to the title game.

The championship game matched two remarkably even teams. In the regular season, Peaked had a one run win over Pete Rose. It was this victory that had Peaked seeded higher and made them the home team in the title contest.

In the first inning, Pete Rose struck first. They got one run in the top half of the inning and took the very early lead. Peaked responded right away. Charlie Whalen led off the game with a hit over the left-centerfielders head and circled the bases for a home run to tie the game. During the inning, Peaked scored two more runs to take the lead and at the end of one, Peaked In High School was up 3-1.

Then the defense took over. Neither team scored for the next three innings. The game was marked by strong defense and pitching by both sides. Pete Rose Bets on Us was able to back Joe Della Vecchia's pitching and keep themselves in the game. But Pete Rose couldn't put any runs on the board because the Peaked defense had the back of Championship Game MVP, Kirk Graves.

Entering the fifth, the score was still 3-1. Then the Pete Rose started to light up. Doug Entinger started a Pete Rose rally that saw them send eight batters to the plate and score four runs. The lead was still two runs, but now Pete Rose had swung the game in their favor.
In the bottom of the inning, Peaked responded like a true champ. With Whalen again leading off, Peaked scored two runs and ended the fifth inning tied at 5.

The CSA Spring Thursday Co-ed Softball Championship game was going to go right down to the wire. In the top of the sixth, Pete Rose was retired 1-2-3. In the bottom of the inning, Peaked put the game away. They sent all 10 batters to the plate, and took advantage of some shaky defense to score six runs and ice the outcome.
Paul Crater led off with a single and was erased at second by game MVP Graves. Then Janye McClinton was able to reach and give Peaked runners on 1st and 2nd with one out.
A double by Whalen scored Graves with the go ahead run and put runnners on 2nd and 3rd. Monica Hollison was able to reach to load the bases, and then captain Darren Hulst got a single to score both McClinton and Whalen. With three runs in, the issue was becoming more secure.
With a chance to put the game out of reach, assistant captain, Ray Peebles, grounded into a force out at third base that erased Hollison for the second out. With two outs, Peaked took away any doubt in the outcome with Lee Temple at the plate. Temple hit what appeared to be an inning ending groundball to third. But the ball got through the third basemen's legs and Hulst scored easily. Taking advantage of Pete Rose misthrows, Peebled never stopped and was able to score. This advanced Temple to third, and when the throw back to third got away, Temple was able to score. Three runs scored on the play, and with six across for the inning, the championship was all but a lock.
Michelle Saba added a single, and when Katie Blankenstein grounded out, Peaked had sent all ten batters to the plate and took a six run lead into the final frame.

In the seventh, Pete Rose didn't have much left. After the first two batters were retired, a walk pushed across a run and loaded the bases, but when shortstop Ray Peebles mishandled a grounder (three times) he still had a enough time to get the ball to Monica Hollison at second for the force and the championship.

PEAKED IN HIGH SCHOOL
starting line-up

1. CHARLIE WHALEN
2. MONICA HOLLISON
3. DARREN HULST
4. RAY PEEBLES
5. LEE TEMPLE
6. MICHELLE SABA
7. KATIE BLANKENSTEIN
8. PAUL CRATER
9. KIRK GRAVES (Championship MVP)
10. JANYE MCCLINTON