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08/29/2024 11:14 PMFollowing the completion of the regular season for the Deep River Horseshoe League, the top eight teams compete in a single elimination playoff to determine the league’s tournament champion. The playoffs were expected to start on Aug. 19, but the heavy weather that blanketed the state during the weekend put the pits under water, and the start of the playoffs was postponed until Aug. 20.
Round one of the playoffs was the quarterfinal round, which was a best-of-five series that took place on Aug. 20.
No. 1 Braves (Mike Zanelli Jr., Warren Bellows, Howie Fisher) took on No. 8 Diamondbacks (Chip Goodrich, Gary Stevens, Brian Walsh). The two teams last played each other three weeks ago, and the Braves were without Zanelli. Both Bellows and Matt Valentin had struggled to score, and the Diamondbacks won 5-1.
For this match, Fisher substituted for Valentin. At the start of game one, Goodrich had ringers in the first five boxes, giving the Diamondbacks a sizeable lead that the Braves were unable to overcome. Game two was much closer, and in the 10th box it was all tied. The Braves took a two-point lead going into the last box, but Stevens and Goodrich each tossed a ringer while the Braves only managed to score one point.
Down 2-0, the Braves had their backs against the wall. Game three got out of hand within the first four boxes, thanks to Stevens’ double in the fourth, which put the Braves down by 18 points. It was then Walsh’s turn, as he tossed three ringers in a row, and the lead ballooned to 20 points. Walsh’s 32 points was a season high game and sealed the win for the Diamondbacks. With the 3-0 win, they moved onto round two.
No. 2 Mets (Bob Cifaldi, Bob Beckwith, Keith Toohey) faced No. 7 Pirates (Skip Robinson, Anthony Malerba, Harvey Strausser). When the teams met in Week Three, despite the Pirates scoring 300 points, they split their match.
In game one, Strausser’s double in the fourth box pulled the Pirates with two points, but Cifaldi was having one of his better games. His double in the 10th box gave the Mets a 10-point lead, and with his 34 points, the Mets won. Cifaldi’s hot hand continued into game two, as he and Beckwith put the Mets in the lead after three boxes, and they didn’t let up. Cifaldi topped his first game of 34 with a 36-point effort, and he had no open boxes. If the Pirates were to advance, they would need to win the next three games.
In game three, it was tied after two, when the Mets grabbed the lead and held it until the ninth box when Malerba tossed a double. This gave the Pirates the lead by one, but Beckwith responded with a double in the 11th box to give the Mets a one-point lead. In the last box, the Pirates scored seven points to the Mets’ two. The scratch score was Pirates 46 and Mets 42, but with their five points of handicap, it gave the Mets a one-point win. With the 3-0 win, the Mets advanced to round two.
No. 3 Orioles (John Durinick, Ed Turner, John O’Brien) took on No. 6 Dodgers (Butch Carotenuto, Vinny Jonynas, Dennis Allen). They played each other in Week Two, as both Durinick and Turner topped the century mark in the Orioles’ 4-2 win.
In game one, the Orioles held a slight edge through the first five boxes, but Durinick and O’Brien scored 17 points in the sixth and seventh boxes for an 11-point lead that the Dodgers were unable to overcome. In game two, the Orioles pulled away by outscoring the Dodgers 20-9 in the middle of the contest to go onto their second win.
Allen tossed four straight ringers to start game three and tossed eight total for the contest to give the Dodgers the win. In game four, the Orioles took the lead in the fourth box and held it until the ninth, when the Dodgers tied it. The Dodgers outscored the Orioles 8-2 over the last three boxes for the win, making it come down to the last game. The Orioles grabbed the lead and held it for the first half of the game, when Carotenuto and Jonynas outscored the Orioles in the seventh and eighth boxes (16-3) for an 11-point lead. The Orioles responded by scoring 22 points in the last third of the game to the Dodgers eight points, and the Orioles won 3-2 and advanced.
No. 4 Angels (Tony Cutone, Kris Casey, Kyle Wilson) faced No. 5 White Sox (Brady Miller, Hunter Beckwith, Peter Furmonavicius). They last faced each other in Week Eight, and the teams split their match.
Furmonavicius started with a double and added six more ringers for the game. His 33 points and Miller’s six more ringers made for an easy win. Casey, who was a substitute for Angels’ Ted Dubay, got the team off to a quick lead in game two with two doubles, but Beckwith had five ringers in the first four boxes to even the score. The game came down to the last box, and it was Beckwith’s ringer in the 12th that sealed the win.
The third game turned out to be no contest, as Furmonavicius and Beckwith tossed seven ringers in the first four boxes for an 11-point lead. Furmonavicius ended the game with 35 points, nine ringers, and three doubles. The White Sox won 3-0 and moved onto round two.
Round two of the playoffs, the semifinals, took place on Aug. 22 and was another best-of-five series.
Like the weatherman said, Thursday was a top ten “pick of the week,” and he encouraged people to get out and enjoy it.
No. 2 Mets (Bob Cifaldi, Bob Beckwith, Keith Toohey) took on No. 3 Orioles (John Durinick, Ed Turner, John O’Brien). The two teams met during week five. After five games, the match was tied 2.5–2.5. This was the first time Turner told O’Brien in the last box of the game “John, we need a ringer.” He tossed the ringer, and the Orioles won 3.5–2.5.
The Mets got off to a terrible start in game one, as the Orioles took full advantage to build a 12-point lead after five boxes. The Mets fought back, but came up short. Beckwith and Cifaldi battled Durinick and Turner back and forth throughout, with the Mets coming out with a four-point win.
Game three was almost a duplicate of game two, with the lead going back and forth until it was tied in the 10th, before the Orioles would win by four points. For some unexplainable reason, in game four, Cifaldi couldn’t find the stake – he tossed no ringers and had a string of boxes where he only scored one point. With the win, the Orioles advanced to the championship match.
No. 5 White Sox (Brady Miller, Hunter Beckwith, Peter Furmonavicius) faced No. 8 Diamondbacks (Chip Goodrich, Gary Stevens, Brian Walsh). These two teams played each other in Week Seven, and the teams scored on 65% of the shoes they tossed. This was the highest in any match during the season. The White Sox won 4-2.
In game one, the White Sox took the lead and managed to maintain a one to two-point lead throughout the game. Miller and Goodrich matched scores with 26 points, as did Furmonavicius and Walsh. It came down to the last box, and Walsh’s ringer gave the Diamondbacks a one-point win. Game two was all Beckwith, as he started with a double, and the White Sox led by 12 after six boxes. The White Sox went on to win by 30 points, as Beckwith had a season best game of 47 points, 14 ringers, four doubles. His fluid delivery was and is a thing of beauty to watch.
In game three, Beckwith had seven ringers in the first half, as he went on to score 35 points and give the White Sox their second win. The Diamondbacks rebounded for a win in game four to force game five. Game five was a repeat of game three. Beckwith had seven ringers in the first half, leading to an 18-point lead. Beckwith finished the game with 37 points, 10 ringers, and two doubles. For the match, Beckwith’s three game totals were 119 points, 33 ringers, and eight doubles. His highest series during the season (four games) was 114 points, 27 ringers, and four doubles. The White Sox advanced to the championship match.
The championship match between the Orioles and White Sox took place on Aug. 24 and was a best-of-seven series.
The match was scheduled to start at 11 a.m., but members of the team were already practicing as early as 10 a.m., and by 11 a.m., the spectators numbered about 30 people, including family, friends, and league members.
When the two teams met in Week 14, the White Sox were in 12th place, and the Orioles were in fourth. It was a match the Orioles would like to forget. The White Sox won 5-1, scoring 340 points as all three players topped the century mark.
No. 3 Orioles (John Durinick, Ed Turner, John O’Brien) vs. No. 5 White Sox (Brady Miller, Hunter Beckwith, Peter Furmonavicius) came down to the wire. The score was tied four times during game one, and it was fitting that it was tied going into the last box. Furmonavicius and Miller both tossed ringers for a six-point win. Durinick took control of game two, scoring 41 points, 11 ringers, and two doubles for the win. In game three, Turner’s three consecutive doubles in the middle of the game led to the Orioles’ second win. In game four, the teams exchanged the lead three times before it ended up tied going into the last box. Furmonavicius tossed a double to even the match at 2-2.
The Orioles held the lead for the first third of game five, but Beckwith tossed six ringers in the next five boxes to give the White Sox a one-point lead. Turner and Durinick both tossed ringers in the 11th box for a one-point lead and the subsequent win. In game six, Beckwith and Furmonavicius put on another scoring display. Their combined 63 points, 17 ringers, and three doubles led to a 20-point win. The match was even at 3-3.
At the start of the match, there were very few people who thought it would go to seven games. As you look back on the games leading up to this point, it was only fitting for it to end this way.
In game seven, the White Sox took the lead in the third with Furmonavicius’s double. The Orioles tied it in the sixth, and the White Sox tied it in the 10th. The score remained tied going into the 12th, the last box. Miller failed to score, while Durinick got two points. O’Brien was the first to toss, and just like in Week Five, people could hear Turner in the background telling O’Brien “we need a ringer, and six would be nice.” O’Brien, who has a unique backflip toss, put his first shoe next to the stake for a point, and his second shoe found the stake to give the Orioles a four-point lead. It was then up to Furmonavicius, who needed a double for the win, and he scored two. The Orioles won the game and match, 4-3, and were named the 2024 tournament champions. Congratulations to Durinick, Turner, and O’Brien for their championship victory.