Field 1 (early game) – Bradford Allen 10, CTK Chicago Partners 6: BA finished strong with perhaps its best record since joining DRESL. After going down early 4-3 after two innings, BA pitcher Andy DeMoss was able to settle down and blank the Kritters over the next three innings. BA was led by middle of the order Phil Reiff, Pete DeBruin, and Matt Wright, a combined 7-9 at the plate, scoring five runs and batting in seven of the team’s 10 runs.

Field 1 – Cushman & Wakefield 17, MB Real Estate 15: The odds were against C&W from the beginning, with Cap Trevor Marticke having to fill in as third string pitcher, no batting practice due to a really late start, and only 7.5 guys on the roster (thanks to a broken finger). Dingers were had by Rob Becker, John Norris, and Jared Funk, who put an exclamation point on the rally by recording C&W’s first grand slam of the year.

Field 2 – DTZ 7, Eastdil 4: Knowing that a win v. Eastdil locks in a first round bye, DTZ showed up and out-battled Eastdil in a gruesome game, as Eastdil third baseman Matt Omundson busted a finger off the bat of Steve in the first to set the tone. DTZ offensive standouts included Greg Moy with three runs and a homer, Rob “Boom Boom” Tamillo with two runs, and Tim Lisy with two RBIs. The lone bright spot for Eastdil was Jack Wold, who went 3-3 on the night.

Field 3 – Colliers 13, Golub 2: The game was tied 2-2 when the flood gates opened for Colliers in the bottom of the third. Every single player scored in that inning to take a 10-run lead, then they added one more insurance run in the fourth making it 13-2. That was all she wrote as Colliers slaughtered Golub (Coach Goo emceeing DRESL Idol, above) in five innings. Highlights included Tom Berarducci going 3-3 with three doubles, four RBIs, two runs, and Zach Weiner pitching like an ace on the mound.

Field 4 – JF McKinney 12, Cresa 0: Cresa ended its maiden voyage in DRESL with a disappointing forfeit to JFM. Cresa did not make the playoffs but we expect them to re-tool for next season.

Field 5 – Klein’s Corporate 7, Retailers 5: Klein’s took on the erratic Retailers and notched its third straight win in a tight contest. Retail hurler Tom Fritz and a solid defense held Klein’s to two hits in the first three innings, with both teams unable to score. But Klein’s bats came alive in the fourth and fifth, and they manufactured two and five runs, respectively. The Retailers were missing four starters but never gave up.

Field 6 – JLL 16, Inland 6: Sports writers from across the nation opined that it must have been JLL’s stylish new jerseys that were key in this slaughter rule game. Others say it was the presence of grizzled vet and DRESL Hall of Famer Michael Burns (2-3, 3RBIs), who scorched a two-out, two-ribbie base knock to close the gap to 5-4 in the second. JLL ended up with 20 hits, led by Greg Broeren and Steve Milenkov with their dingers in the first.

Field 7 – CBRE 10, Transwestern 1: Playing with only nine guys, one sick and another with a dislocated finger from warm-ups, CBRE still managed an easy win over Transwestern. Mark Floersch had three hits, Cap Mitch Adams had three hits and three runs scored (including a triple and a double), and Matt Fraze, Tyler Reaumond, and Dan Heckman had two hits apiece.