Pitcher Juan Monahan (above) was solid on both sides of the plate, striking out 4 
It's only right that after a wild 2008 regular season that saw down-and-out teams resurrect their bats and perennial contenders falter in the field, the playoffs should contain a few curveballs.
Playoff dreams for the combined team of SOM/Swanke Hayden Connell/Cooper Robertson began and ended on Monday, as the third-place team dropped their final game of the season 13-9 to seventh-place FXFowle (and opening the postseason to eight teams instead of six) before losing their single-elimination quarterfinal to No. 6 Pei Cobb Freed/Hart Howerton, 11-4, that evening.
The quarterfinal game was as well played by the Black and Red as any this season. SSC jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead after one, but PCF/HH knotted up the game at 1-all in the top of the second. SSC threatened in the bottom half of the inning, but pitcher Juan Monahan (2-for-3 with a double, 1 run scored, and 3 RBI) struck out the side to keep the game tied. After that, it was up to the offense.
And did they ever deliver. With Steven Peterson (2-for-3, 2 runs scored) on second base, and two outs, the Black and Red put together seven consecutive base hits to bat around their lineup and blow the game open at 7-1. SSC responded with a run in the bottom of the third, but PCF/HH wouldn't be denied. The team followed their brilliant hitting and base-running performance in the third by capitalizing on more of SSC's misplays in the fourth. Leslie Cacciapaglia (1-for-2, 1 run) and Peterson singled before Carl Pearson (1-for-2), J. Strong (2-for-3) and Monahan each smashed doubles to tack on 4 more runs.
The game was quickly defined by composure by PCF/HH, and a lack of composure by SSC. Three unofficial throwing errors committed by the 2005 and 2006 champions in the third aided in the Black and Red's two-out magic in the third. But errors were never as costly to SSC's momentum and morale as they were in the fourth. When the centerfielder Pearson doubled to score Cacciapaglia, the throw came home to pitcher Scott Habjan in an attempt to catch Peterson running home. It was a misfire, and as Peterson reached the plate safely, Pearson took off for third. With the ball back in his hands, Habjan overthrew third base. Pearson most likely would have made third safely on his slide, but the overthrow allowed him to get back on his feet and cross the plate.
On the other side, PCF/HH outfielders didn't fall for the old tricks, and allowed runners to move from first to third in exchange for a cut-off throw that kept batters to single bases. Overthrows and unnecessary attempts at throwing out base runners were non-existent.
Utility outfielder and infielder William Work was the epitome of PCF/HH's consistency, going 3-for-3 on Monday. Peter LoGiudice went 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored and an RBI, and third baseman Ron Rainone was a dependable 2-for-2 with 1 RBI before being tossed from the game in the bottom of the third for throwing a phantom tag.
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Playoff matchups were still in the air after Monday's win, but FXFowle played the role of the spoiler again on Tuesday, as the No. 7 seed defeated No. 2 The Philips Group 10-3 in a single-elimination game. FXFowle will now play the Red and Black in a best-of-three semifinal, beginning on Monday at 7 p.m. on Central Park's Great Lawn Field 4.
Gensler Associates (No. 4) also advanced to the semifinals on Monday, defeating Polshek Partnership (No. 5), 4-2. Gensler came from down 2-0 to earn the victory. They will play the winner of tonight's game between No. 1 Holzman Moss/Robert A.M. Stern Architects and No. 8 Kohn Pedersen Fox, held after this story was published.
If any of the non-playoff teams have a bone to pick — and we're not saying they should — it would be Ronnette Riley/Davis Brody Bond. The ninth place team finished out of playoff contention after KPF was seeded above them by run ratio. Both teams had the same winning percentage (RR/DBB had one more victory than KPF, the latter had one fewer loss and two more ties) but KPF would have fallen completely out of playoff contention had it not been for a 7-0 victory by forfeit over SSC in their final game of the regular season. This fact stings that much more for RR/DBB when you consider that the team finished their regular season on a strong two-game win streak.
Catcher Leslie Cacciapaglia led the way for PCF/HH in just her first start this
Those looking for answers about the 2008 S.L.A.M playoffs weren't going to get them Wednesday night, as Pei Cobb Freed/Hart Howerton's make-up of a make-up game against Polshek Partnership Architects created more questions than answers.
The answers finally came Thursday morning, as the Commissioner's Office confirmed from Rockefeller Center that both team would reach the postseason after playing out a 5-5 tie the night before.
Originally rescheduled for Monday after a rainout in May, PCF/HH and PPA found themselves without a diamond when early showers and the threat of thunderstorms forced the New York City Parks and Recreation Department to close the Great Lawn ball fields.
Gathering at North Meadow on Wednesday, the two 5-5 teams were looking for any opportunity to give them an edge in what could be one team's final game of the year. Polshek got off to a quick start, going up 1-0 in the bottom of the first. After a few squandered opportunities, third baseman Ron Rainone (1-for-3) hustled out a double to lead off the top of the third. Rainone scored later in the inning when catcher Leslie Cacciapaglia (2-for-3) singled to short centerfield. The Red and Black were on the board.
PCF/HH kept momentum going in their favor, holding PPA scoreless while they tacked on a run in each of the following two innings, to take a 3-1 lead entering the bottom of the fifth. But Polshek wouldn't go easy, tying the game up on three consecutive one-out hits (including two doubles) from the top of the order. Both teams were making errors in the field and everyone soon realized that the game would likely be decided by the team that capitalized most often on these opportunities.
The sun was setting and the tension was palpable as the 3-3 game continued through a scoreless sixth into the final inning. PPA manager and pitcher Steven Chang walked leadoff batter Cate Foster (1-for-3) and Cacciapaglia had the opportunity to play hero again. She again singled to short centerfield and, because of some confusion and throwing errors, Foster was able to score from first and Cacciapaglia found herself 60 feet from putting her team up by 2. She scored from third on the ensuing play, an RBI single by Steven Peterson (2-for-4). PCF/HH tried to keep the pressure on, but centerfielder Mike Copeland (1-for-3) suffered a severely-pulled hamstring while running to first base. The resulting double play slowed the Black and Red just enough to re-open the door of opportunity for Polshek.
With the first two batters on in the bottom of the seventh, PPA centerfielder Danny singled to left-center. The hit scored their runner at second and, while trying to tie the game up from first base, a heads-up play by the PCF/HH outfield saw the resulting throw hit the cutoff at second base and a relay throw to pitcher Juan Monahan (1-for-3), who tagged the runner out at the plate. Polshek still tied the game with a sacrifice fly to Carl Pearson (3-for-4), who slid over from right field to fill in for the injured Copeland, but the put-out at the plate saved the game as Rainone ran down a second foul-territory pop up to end the game two batters later.
Monahan gave up the 5 runs on 15 hits, but a surprising number of those hits were credited to Polshek after fielding mistakes. The PCF/HH starter pitched well, walking just 1 while striking out 2 through seven innings of work. PPA's Chang kept the formidable middle of the Black and Red lineup on their heels, holding sluggers J. Strong and Monahan to a combined 1-for-6.
Yusuke Okabayashi
and Peter LoGiudice also came through for PCF/HH. Both went 2-for-3.With identical 5-5-1 records, it wasn't until the following day that both teams learned they would reach the playoffs, which begin on Monday. Though one remaining regular-season game will be played earlier that day, the Red and Black will face SOM/Swanke/Cooper at 7 p.m. on Central Park's Great Lawn, Field 3 to start their push towards a S.L.A.M. championship. Depending on the outcome of the final regular-season game (between SSC and Kohn Pedersen Fox Architects), which will determine the final number of playoff-eligible teams, the PCF/HH match may be a single-elimination quarterfinal.
