SIMPLY AWESOME!

Led by captain Brantley Edwards, SimplyHealth, the cardiac crew, captured the CSA Tuesday Summer Softball Championship.
The first championship of the summer season was awarded to SimplyHealth. SimplyHealth won both the semi-finals and finals in dramatic fashion (13-12 in 8 and 15-13) to win the title.

September 4 - 7:00PM

In the semi-finals, SimplyHealth played the surprising 8th seed, Cleats & Cleavage. The game was a classic, and a finalist for game of the year. SimplyHealth came from three runs down in the sixth to pull off a heartstopping win 13-12 in eight innings.

In a back and forth game, C&C came out strong, with three runs in the first and three more in the third. At the end of three, SimplyHealth trailed 6-2 and was struggling at the plate. Cleats was looking to pull off their second straight upset. In the fourth, the game turned. Simply scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth and the score was 7-6 in favor of Cleats at the end of four. In the fifth, SimplyHealth took their first lead and led 9-7 going into the sixth inning.

In the sixth, Cleats & Cleavage responded with five runs and it looked like the momentum and the game had turned. Down three, SimplyHealth responded with two runs to make it a one run game going into the final frame. After holding Cleats off the board, SimplyHealth needed one run to tie the game. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Brantley Edwards hit a double that scored John Downs with the game tying run. On the play, Edwards advanced to third, and SimplyHealth was 60 feet away from victory. They were unable to score the run and the first semi-final game went to extra innings.

In extra innings, Cleats & Cleavage loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the eighth. With the game on the line, SimplyHealth pitcher Joe Della Vecchia got the next batter to pop out to third and SimplyHealth survived without allowing a run. In the bottom of the eighth, Erik Ciccarone led off with a double and represented the game winning run with no outs. The next batter popped out to second, and Ciccarone was able to tag and advance to third. With one out and the game winning run on third, Krystal Sherrer hit an infield single to score Ciccarone and win the game.

The cardiac crew had survived a classic and would have a chance to capture the championship.

September 4 - 9:35PM

The championship game pitted the fifth seeded SimplyHealth against third seeded Batting for Beers. BFB had advanced to the championship by eliminating the two seed, Widgets, 14-9.

In the title game, SimplyHealth got off quick. Five second inning runs gave Simply a 7-2 lead after two innings.. The lead was extended to 9-4 at the end of three and that was the score entering the fifth inning. Led by good pitching by Joe Della Vecchia and excellent defense by the middle infield of 2B Krystal Sherrer (Playoff MVP) and SS Jim Lamorte (Championship Game MVP), SimplyHealth held the lead.

In the fifth the offense got cranked up. Already leading by five runs, SimplyHealth plated six runs in the fifth and had a 15-4 lead going into the bottom of the inning. Then BFB responded with three runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth to cut the deficit to 15-11.

The game had tightened and the championship would come down to the seventh inning. SimplyHealth was unable to score in the top of the inning and needed to stop Batting For Beers. After the first two batters were retired (the second on a tag out at 2nd base), it looked like SimplyHealth had the title locked up. It wouldn't be that easy. A two out double was followed by a single and another double and the score was now 15-13. The tying run was at the plate and after a single their were runners on first and third and the game winning run was at the plate. A grounder down the line ricocheted off third base and John Downs was able to recover and throw to Krystal Sherrer at second for the force out and the championship.

SIMPLYHEALTH
starting line-up

1. BRANTLEY EDWARDS - LCF
2. JANICE YU - RF
3. ERIK CICCARONE - LF
4. TODD VANLEUVEN - RCF
5. KRYSTAL SHERRER - 2B
6. JIM LAMORTE - 3B/SS
7. RACHEL LAWTON - 1B
8. JOE DELLA VECCHIA - P
9. JOHN DOWNS - SS/3B
10. TRICIA BENNETT - C