CURSE BREAKERS!
9/29/02

Frankie's, the team with the most snakebit core in CSA history rides the strength of their high powered offense to capture the CSA Men's Summer Softball League Championship.

Frankie's had an entire line-up of players that had never won a CSA championship. Including Chad Wade, who was without a title in six previous seasons with CSA.

Frankie's entered the playoffs as the top seed. They had the tie-break edge over Slow N Steady and would have homefield advantage throughout. This turned out to be a key factor.

Frankie's got to the finals by outslugging Rev. Roy's Boys. Rev. Roy's had defeated Frankie's twice in the regular season, and the fourth seed would be a tough challenge. Both offenses were on early. Rev. Roy's put seven on the board in the top of the second and held a brief 9-4 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Frankie's responded with five runs to tie the game. The game was 9-9 entering the fourth. In the fourth, Rev. Roy's seemed to have re-taken the momentum. A five run inning gave them the edge. But Frankie's responded again. A 12 run fifth inning was the deciding factor. Frankie's had turned a five run deficit into a seven run lead, 21-14. The teams exchanged runs in the fifth, but in the final inning, Rev. Roy's ran out of steam and went down in order. The final score of 22-15 sent Frankie's to the finals to face...

...Slow N Steady. Slow N Steady outlasted the third seed, Dazed & Confused 19-15 to advance. SNS broke open a game that was 10-7 after four with a six run fifth inning. That gave them a nine run lead and they held on even after allowing five runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh.

The championship for the Sunday night Frankie Allen league would match up the top two seeds. Both teams finished the regular season 5-3, but Frankie's was the home team based on their win over Slow N Steady during the regular season.

The final game was one that featured a ton of offense, little defense, and some big hits. The game set records for most combined runs in a championship game, most runs by the winner in a title game, and most runs by a loser in the title game

SNS came out firing. They sent thirteen batters to the plate in the top of the first and put eight on the board. Frankie's responded in the bottom of the first. They sent 11 batters to the plate and also scored eight runs.
They may have had more, but with none out, Ryan Matteson was thrown out at home. The sixteen first inning runs set a CSA record.
The second inning was nearly identical to the first. SNS sent 11 men to the plate and scored another eight runs. After an inning and a half, the score was 16-8. Frankie's cut into that deficit in the bottom of the inning. Sending up another nine batters, they scored four runs. For the second inning in a row, Frankie's had a runner thrown out at home with no one out. Trying to stretch a triple, TC Lee was nailed at home.

After two innings, Slow N Steady led 16-12. The teams had sent a combined 44 batters to the plate.

The third inning was the swing inning. Jeff Wood for Slow N Steady hit a bomb to centerfield for a two run homer with one out and it looked like SNS was going to have another big inning, but Frankie's held SNS to only one more run and three in the inning. Frankie's trailed by seven entering the bottom of the third. With two outs and two runs in, Frankie's caught a break. TC Lee hit a long fly ball to leftfield. The leftfielder made a diving attempt at the ball but it was ruled a hit, even though the fielder claims to have made the catch. Ryan Matteson and Chris Orlando followed with RBI singles and Frankie's ended the inning by cutting the deficit to 19-16 after three.

Now deflated, Slow N Steady went down in order in the fourth. Then Frankie's seized momentum. Capped by a two run homerun by Ray Lee over the left-centerfield fence and a two run single by Ryan Matteson that scored Brad Hartman and Chad Wade. Wade's aggressive, albeit ill advised running, enabled him to score all the way from first on a single. Frankie's batted around for the third time in the game and scored seven runs. With the home field edge and now a four run lead, 23-19, Frankie's was in control.

Slow N Steady did not quit though. In the top of the fifth they scored four runs, three with two outs, and tied the game up at 23. But that was all they would get. Frankie's busted out again in the bottom of the fifth. Captain Matt Lorenzo led off the inning and started the championship winning rally. Lorenzo reached safely and came around to score and then Championship Game MVP Brad Hartman provided the fireworks in the middle of another seven run inning. A three homer to straight away centerfield scored Travis York and Ray Lee and Frankie's had a commanding four run lead. Another RBI single from Matteson, his seventh RBI of the game, and a run scoring hit from the pitcher, Daniel Vo, gave Frankie's a 30-23 lead.

Slow N Steady was now on the ropes. They sent only four batters to the plate in the sixth and failed to score. Solid fielding plays by third basemen Ray Lee and shortstop Jeff Masisak, kept SNS off the board. To that point, Masisak had struggled in the field, but in crunch time, he was their to support the team.

Frankie's simply needed three runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game by "mercy" rule. Leading off, Masisak doubled. After Travis York was retired. Ray Lee drove Masisak in and Frankie's needed only two runs. Then Frankie's ended it in style. Brad Hartman hit his second homer of the game over the leftfield fence and became the first person ever to end a CSA championship game with a walk-off home run.

Frankie's had defeated Slow N Steady 33-23 in a record setting performance and broken the curse with their first CSA championship. The teams not only set run records, but they sent an astonishing 101 batters to the plate in 5 1/2 innings. 54 by Frankie's alone.

FRANKIE'S
starting line-up

1. JEFF MASISAK - SS
2. TRAVIS YORK - 2B
3. RAY LEE - 3B
4. BRAD HARTMAN - LCF (Championship Game MVP)
5. CHAD WADE - LF
6. TC LEE - RCF
7. RYAN MATTESON - 1B
8. CHRIS ORLANDO - RF
9. DANIEL VO - P
10. MATT LORENZO - C