Arguably the matchup of the weekend for the Jersey Softball Associations Corefocus Summer League saw the current division one champions Dominion Niners victorious against one of their title contenders, the Jacksons Falcons on Sunday 21st June. Both teams traded early runs with some strong hitting with both defences helpless to prevent runs, however from innings 4 the Niners experience started to tell and they started to get on top defensively - only giving up another 3 runs in innings 4 to 6, whilst continuing to out-score the Falcons with the bat. By the time the  Falcons came to bat in the last innings, they were comfortably trailing 24 - 12 and whilst they rallied hard including a massive home run from Scott Roberts and generally applying a bit of pressure on the Niners defence, the Niners lead amassed in the previous 4 innings was too much . The Niners eventually winning 24 - 19.

It the same time, the Jacksons Eagles met their division two rivals, Corefocus Cubs. With an excellent start in the field the Eagles held the Cubs to just a single run in the first and tied the score when they came to bat with top of the order batter Barry Chandler getting home. In the next few innings, Cubs showed their class, sealing the victory with an impressive 10 runs scored in the final innings alone, however a valiant last stand by the Eagles was something to behold. With bases loaded, Roberto Pita stepped up to the plate and hit an inspired Grand Slam home run to score four runs for the home side. With the final score 35 - 7 to Cubs this was a marked improvement for the Eagles and a trend they will be keen to continue.

In the afternoon games, division two leaders, the dms Jersey Flyers, seized their opportunity to extend their lead with an astounding win against a division one team, Jacksons Phoenix. With a run lead of 18 at the top of the fifth innings, the Flyers began to sense victory and pulled on their high spirits to add more runs to their haul, with a second home-run of the season from Sharon McGrath. Phoenix responded with a fast-paced home-run from their first batter, but were then once more unable to dodge the Flyers fielders. At the bottom of the fifth, the umpire flipped the Mercy Rule and used it to call ball-game as the division two Flyers were leading division one Phoenix by more than 15 runs – an unusual occurrence which the Flyers should be extremely proud of. Final score 21-2.

On the opposite pitch, CPA Global Pirates took a commanding 22-0 lead before the Tigers could sharpen their nails and claw their 1st 4 runs in the 3rd inning. Pirates lead thanks to home runs from Sean Billson (2), rookie James Robertson (2) and a Grand Slam home run from Matt Satchell, who notably batted in 10 runners in the game. Pirates remained on the ascendancy and plundered another 17 runs in the next 2 innings with more home runs from Lindsay Satchell (1) and another Grand Slam by Chris Halford. Tigers scrambled well and scored 8 more runs but Pirates finished in style with a superb diving catch by James Robertson in left field. Pirates win 39-12.

The dms Jersey Flyers met their fellow second division opponents, the Tigers, this Sunday for the Jersey Softball Association Corefocus Summer League.  The Tigers, with a relatively new team, struggled to pierce the mighty armor of the Flyers fielding throughout the game, whilst the Flyers themselves tactically and successfully base-hit their way through their batting order. There were standout performances from both team, including 4 homeruns from the Flyers captain, Chris Le Lion. The dms Jersey Flyers Players of the Match were awarded to Nikki Gasulla-sole and Bruno Sousa. Final score 31-0 to the Flyers.

It was the turn of the 2nd division team Corefocus Cubs to meet the unbeaten and reigning Division 1 champions Dominion Niners.  The Cubs remained undeterred throughout the game, keeping their opponents close at every opportunity with the great infield combo of Garry Le Maistre (2nd base), Tom Hilton (short stop) and Lauren Glynn (1st base). Both teams fought hard to the end with the Niners coming out the winners with only one run in it, in a game they did not win easily due to the perseverance of their opponents. Final score 12-11 to the Dominion Niners.

The sister teams of Jacksons Falcons and Jacksons Phoenix met for the second time this Sunday with the more seasoned Falcons again proving the dominant force, though Phoenix again showed their teeth and made the Falcons work for the victory. Falcons took the early lead but Phoenix rose to the challenge, responding by shutting the Falcons down in the second, third and fourth innings, with Cameron Ramsey of Phoenix taking 7 outfield catches during the match.
The Falcons switch of strategy to base hitting in the 5th saw them stretch a comfortable lead, which Phoenix were unable to claw back, with Scott Roberts home run for the Falcons in the 7th sealing the deal. Final score 21-8 to the Jacksons Falcons.

In the first game of the day, the Corefocus Cubs met their closest rivals for the Jersey Softball Associations Corefocus Summer league division two title, the dms Jersey Flyers, in a closely fought game this weekend.

As the heat began to intensify, both in the air and on the diamond, the dms Jersey Flyers launched an attack, gaining a further 5 runs to add to their total. The Cubs were unable to follow suit as a catch in Left Centre from James Marshall and 2 catches from the Flyers Third baseman, Cat Girt, prevented them from passing the home plate. With the score 8-2 at the top of the fourth, the Flyers looked to solidify their lead with a further 2 runs. The Cubs however began to find their groove at their at-bat and started to build up the runs. A beautiful catch from Pitcher, Chris Le Lion, swiftly followed by a throw to First baseman, Michelle Thomson after the runner left early, gave the Flyers 2 quick outs.

It was during the sixth innings that the Flyers really came into their own with their bats, going all the way down the order to secure themselves another 6 runs, including homeruns from Fil Gouveia and Chris Le Lion. The Cubs squeezed just 1 more run out of the Flyers at the bottom of the sixth,  giving the Flyers a solid lead of 16-10 going into the seventh and final innings. The Flyers again built on their lead, securing another 4 runs, including a perfect 2-base, right-field hit from Sharon McGrath. Unable to get their own bats working, the Corefocus Cubs failed to secure any more runs giving the dms Jersey Flyers the win, 20-10.

In the second game of the day, CPA Global Pirates took on the Corefocus Cubs. The Pirates began the game all guns blazing, with big home runs from Sean Billson and Matt Satchell helping the Pirates to an unassailable 4-17 lead in just two innings. From here the teams matched each other for runs and good defence, with notable performances in the Cubs ranks from Claire Summers for her pitching, and Conor Hall and Declan Renouard for their piercing home runs. Chris Halford, for CPA Global Pirates, was on good form in defence with several assists from 3rd base. At ball-game, the Pirates were the run-away winners over the Cubs with an 8-21 scoreline.

The dms Jersey Flyers met their toughest opposition this weekend, the Dominion Niners, in a clash of the current division leaders for the Jersey Softball Association Corefocus Summer League. Both teams had gone un-defeated in their divisional games so far this season so the stakes were high for the first of the inter-divisional games.
The teams were fairly evenly matched over the first two innings, but the 2nd Division Flyers took a narrow lead 11 - 8 in the third. They continued to maintain that lead, even when the Niners threatened to close in when batting first in the 3rd innings. However a double play from the Flyers involving Phil Bouchard at second base, Javier Gomez at short stop and Michelle Thompson on first base, followed by home runs from Phil Bouchard and Candice Parsons prevented them the Niners from taking the lead. The Niners team, which was missing a number of regulars and playing a number of players out if position, just couldn't get thing going. Trailing 15-11 going into the last innings, the Niners drew on all their experience and finally some sound base hits from their top order to take the lead 18-17 for the first time in the match. The Flyers still had the last bat, but some great defence from the Niners saw them shut the Flyers out and steal victory from the jaws of defeat.
For the Dominion Niners there was notable performance from Russell Wynn, who pitched exceptionally well, particularly to close the game out and also scored well with the bat. For the dms Jersey Flyers, their Player of the Match award was jointly presented to Javier Gomez and Candice Parsons, both for their nifty fielding and precision batting.

On pitch one at the same time, division 1 teams, the Jacksons Falcons met their nearest rivals, CPA Global Pirates. The Falcons' batting was imperious and they duly took a commanding 15-7 lead into the middle of the 5th inning, but a 7 run 5th innings for the Pirates saw that lead cut to 1 run. Defensively, Pirates upped their game and only allowed the Falcons 2 runs in the 6th. Needing 3 runs to win, a lead-off home run by newly-signed Pirate, Andy Audrain, reduced the lead to 1 run. A walk put a runner on base and captain Sean Billson homered to walk off and cap a wonderful come-back effort by the Pirates. Final score 18-17 to the Pirates.