Frank Rausch had a record scoring night as a substitute for the Mets in Week 14 of the Deep River Horseshoe League. The Diamondbacks knocked the Braves from first place with a 5-1 win. With the Braves’ loss and the Mets’ split with the Dodgers, the Mets are now in first place. The White Sox scored 340 points in a 5-1 win over the Orioles, and the Angels put a damper on the Cubs’ playoff hopes with a 5-1 win. The Orioles, Dodgers, and Angels are in a three-way tie for fourth place.

When the Dodgers heard Rausch would substitute for Mets’ Bob Cifaldi, they knew from his reputation they would need to have their "A" game. Throughout the season when Rausch has been a sub, the team usually wins. The Mets scored 318 points, and Rausch had over half of them with 164. The team tossed 71 ringers, and Rausch had 46. He also had 10 of the team's 12 doubles. In Rausch’s first two games, he tossed 47 and 40 points, and then followed with games of 38 and 39 points. He is the first substitute to be the leading scorer for the week, and the 164 points is a league season high.

The Mets won the first two games, but the Dodgers came back to win the next two. The teams split the last two games, as Dodgers’ Dennis Allen had a season best game of 39 points in game six for the third win, and his 101 point series was the second highest score for "C" players. The Dodgers were happy they came away with the split.

The Braves were coming off of two weeks of big wins, while the Diamondbacks just had their first 300 point game and a 5-1 win. Frank Durinick was a sub for Diamondbacks’ Chip Goodrich. Despite Braves’ Mike Zanelli Jr.'s solid 125 point series, his teammates Warren Bellows and Matt Valentin struggled to score. The Braves did their best to keep the games close, losing three games by less than five points each. Diamondbacks’ Brain Walsh had a season best 31 point game on his way to an 87 point series for the third highest "C" score. After losing the first five games, the Braves finally won the last game by five points. With the 5-1 loss, the Braves fell to second place, 1/2 game behind the Mets.

The Angels were looking to rebound from Week 13’s stunning loss to the Mets, while the Cubs were looking for another big win to keep the playoffs within their sights. Cubs’ Coby Layton's 33 points in game one gave the Cubs hope, but Tony Cutone and Ted Dubay led the Angels to wins in the next five games, putting a damper on the Cubs’ playoff hopes. Layton had a season best 119 point series, while Cutone had a season best 126 point series. Dubay edged Week 13’s high scorer, Cubs’ Jeremy Davis, 102 - 100. Dubay’s 102 point series was the third high score for "B" players.

After a split the week before, the Orioles were very confident they were playoff bound. Meanwhile, the White Sox, after two weeks without Peter Furmonavicius, were glad for his return. Orioles’ John Durinick and John O'Brien each tossed their best game of the match in game one for their only win, as the White Sox’s team of Brady Miller, Hunter Beckwith, and Furmonavicius all topped the century mark in scoring. Miller had 126 points, Beckwith had 103 points for the second week in a row, and Furmonavicius had 111 points. The White Sox totaled 340 points, the second highest of the season. Beckwith’s 103 was the second highest "B" score, and Furmonavicius’s 111 point series was a personal best and earned him the top score for "C" division.

The Cardinals, who are in tenth place, were 1/2 game out of a playoff spot and were in need of a big win against the fourth place Pirates. Cardinals’ Kris Toohey started with 39 points in game one for the win before the teams tied in the second game. The match lacked a lot of scoring. The Cardinals’ 252 points was their lowest team score since week one.

Toohey, the league's top scorer, and Pirates’ Skip Robinson both had their second lowest series of the season. The Pirates, the league’s top scoring team, only had 266 points, their second lowest of the season. The bright spot came from the "B" players. Cardinals’ Kris Casey had a 92 point series, and Pirates’ Anthony Malerba's 104 point series was the high for "B" players. The Cardinals won 3.5 - 2.5 and remain in tenth place. The Pirates moved up to third place in the standings.

The Rockies also experienced scoring issues, as they faced off against the Yankees. In game one, Leif Selander subbed for Yankees’ Deb Scully, and his personal best game of 34 points was all the scoring they would need for the win. Rockies’ Paul Stevens has a rivalry with Yankees’ Damin Roberts. Stevens did win one game in their head-to-head match, but it was his only win, as Roberts outscored him 97-72.

The Rockies’ 205 points were their lowest of the season. After winning game four, the Rockies had a chance to win the last game, but each of the players on both teams tossed one point, and the game ended in a tie. This was the Rockies’ seventh tie of the season. The Yankees won 4.5 -2.5 and are in the final playoff spot.

In other games, the Giants and Red Sox split. Giants’ Mike Zanelli Sr.'s 140 point series was the second highest for the "A" players. The Tigers and Reds also split. Tigers’ Sheryl Serviss had her season best game of 40 points with 11 ringers. Tigers’ Andy Turshen had his season best game of 29 points.

Here are the standings of the top eight teams this week that are currently playoff eligible:

1. Mets: 51.5 - 32.5

2. Braves: 51.0 - 33.0

3. Pirates: 47.5 - 36.5

4. Orioles: 46.5 - 37.5

5. Dodgers: 46.5 - 37.5

6. Angels: 46.5 - 37.5

7. Diamondbacks: 45.0 - 39.0

8. Yankees: 44.5 - 39.5