First round:

In the Red kept its momentum going early, leading 8-5 after two innings, before the McCoys broke it open by scoring 11 runs en route to a 17-8 victory. Chris Hawkins (a.k.a. the quiet one) gunned down a runner trying to advance from second to third on a fly to right, and Stan Goldberg pitched outstanding. Carol Lustig, Goldberg and Hawkins, the five-through-seven hitters were a combined 9 for 9 with five runs and seven RBI.

The Boss Players had their entire family together for the first time, and the results were telling. Paul O’Connell drilled a long home run and was stellar at shortstop in the victory over AFDI.

Winners’ bracket:

The McCoys again rode a blowout inning, scoring 13 in the fifth inning en route to a 19-8 victory and breaking open what appeared to be another close game against We B Zellin’. Zellin’ had won both regular season games, 7-6 and 8-7. But Sunday, the McCoys’ Reggie Hawkins was 4 for 5, and Lustig and Mike Turnbell were each 4 for 4. McCoys shortstop Chad Mullins was grounded by dad Phil Mullins, who also serves at Zellin’ designated hitter, following the game for rounding third and charging home, where Mom (a.k.a. Karen Mullins) was covering the plate. Chad slide in safely, as the McCoys’ bench feared for Chad’s safety.

Top-seeded Jaded, meanwhile, had to rally to repel the stubborn Boss Players 8-6. After Jaded shortstop Joe Sachitano was chastising himself for a fifth-inning error that led to the Boss Players taking a 4-3 lead, Giuliotti told him: “You’ll just win it for us later.” In the bottom of the sixth, Sachitano’s single, his third hit of the day, scored Sean D’Oliveria for the go-ahead run in a five-run inning that was capped by Steve D’Oliveira’s two-run home run. But the story was winning pitcher Tom Fleming, who came off his sick bed and was 2 for 3. Despite his condition, he walked no one.

Losers’ bracket:

In a rematch of their regular-season game, Zellin’ eliminated AFDI 7-6 in a Kansas City tiebreaker. With two out in the seventh, AFDI stormed back to tie the game, capped by Gabe Gabarron’s RBI single. Gabarron then sent the game to extra innings as he made a fine catch of Phil Mullins’ liner to right. But Mullins, who began the inning on second, as per rule, because he was the last out of the previous innings, scored on Smith’s single up the middle. "We see many things to feel positive about," Smith said.

On the other field, In The Red’s John Holland asked Giuliotti: “How the hell did you beat these guys?” after the Boss Players’ victory over Nick Carr’s Reds, the Players’ third game of the day. The Players now must be beaten a second time before this is over. Stay tuned.