The first round of the playoffs came to an end on Friday night with Drew Farms eliminating Willis Tent. Drew’s had a strong end to the regular season including a do-or-die must win game to even get into the playoffs. After losing their first playoff game, and allowing 31 runs, they came back to beat a good Willis Tent squad twice and head to the second round. In the other bracket, Floral Arts eliminated Pro Sports Therapy in two straight to move to the next round where they will face Short Cut Landscaping.
Floral Arts 9 – Pro Sports Therapy 7
In a back and forth affair with PST answering each Floral rally, Larry Mardany of Floral Arts pitched well in the win and was supported by home runs from Rob Beaudette with two, Ken Delaney, Simon Tripp, and Jeff Moore each with one.  PST highlights were Ben Armstrong hitting the first pitch of the game for a home run.  Ryan Steele hit a dinger in the fifth and Steve Sawyer hit a solo shot in the sixth as part of a three run inning in an attempt to counter the five that Floral put up in the bottom of the fifth to break open what was a 4-4 game.  The PST squad of 17 (with to more on the bench injured) couldn’t withstand the pounding of the Floral home runs which made the difference in the loss.
Willis Tent 31 – Drew Farms 8
In a one-sided slugfest, Willis Tent put up 31 runs on Drew Farms in their first playoff game. Contributions were from nearly everyone on the Willis team, highlights included Dennis Kane, 5-5, Andrew Metters also 5-5 including three doubles, Rob Swinamer, 4-5 including two home runs, and Brian Gallardo, 4-5, two doubles and two homeruns. It didn’t end there…Brian Gallardo, 4-5, also with two doubles and a pair of home runs, Stephen Damiani, 4-5, Jon Duffy, 3-3, Jeff Briggs, 3-4 with a home run, Keith Wauter, 3-5 and Roger Neild 3-5 with a home run. Justin Swanson also chipped in with a home run for good measure.
Drew Farms 13 – Willis Tent 8
Drew Farms tied up the series at one a piece with a solid win over Willis Tent. Willis scored two runs in the first inning and six more in the second inning for a total of eight runs, but that’s all the scoring they would do. From the third inning on, Willis only could muster a single hit.  Willis lost to Drews 14 to 8. Kevin Adolph and Rob Swinamer each contributed to the Willis effort with a homerun.
Floral Arts 21 – Pro Sports Therapy 1
On Wednesday, Floral Arts clinched a trip to the semifinals by beating Pro Sports Therapy, 21-1. Larry Mardany pitched a masterful game, keeping PST scoreless until the fifth inning, when he gave up a solo shot. Simon Tripp got Floral on board in the first when he knocked in Roger Whittlesey with a home run over the left field fence. Floral also got home runs from Geoff Pavao with two, Rob Beaudette also with a pair, Jeff Moore, and Mike Donaruma. Pavao made a nice backhanded stab at second base in the late innings, Tripp made several nice running catches in the outfield, including a diving play that ended in a double play, and Frank Lancelotta legged out a double in one inning and saved a run at first base in the top of the next inning by catching a liner to his right. Floral Arts will play Shortcut Landscaping in the second round, which begins on Sunday. The only PST offensive highlight was a Ben Armstrong solo home run to lead off the fifth that broke up Larry Mardany’s shut out. Held us to just seven hits, Floral deserve as much credit for pitching and defense as they do for their offensive explosion.
Drew Farms 14 – Willis Tent 12
Drews put up five in the first inning but Willis battled back and took the lead. A timely grand slam put Drews back ahead, but Willis would not go away. Willis continued to battle and took the lead again. But Drews soon came back with another home run and some aggressive base running. With some incredible infield defense, Drews was able to keep Willis in check, and hold onto the win. It was a fantastic series and one in which Drews surprised the higher ranked Willis to move to the next round.
