Wiffle Brief - June 9, 2026

SMBA WIFFLE BRIEF -- JUNE 9, 2026

Night Six of the 2026 Season | Games 21-24

The eight remaining teams converge.  Only six will advance.  It’s 88 degrees and sunny.  Everyone is going to suffer tonight, some more than others.

Here’s your non ai generated summary of this edition of the Wiffle Brief:

• Game 21 squares off the 2024 Champs (McGlovens) against the 2025 reigning Champs (Let Freedom Swing) for a speedy, competitive, and surprisingly affable clash of dynasties. One team won, both teams head to the semis.
  
• Game 22 Benchwarmers from Spencer Fane take on the Usual Suspects - Criminal Defense Pals. A bit of a blowout that didn’t feel embarrassing. We will see both teams in the semis.
  
• Game 23 in which the 31st Circuit Judges (Appealables) take on the Public Defenders (Gideon’s Solders) One of the tightest and tensest battle of the night – and an opportunity for the judges to experience the pleasure of being constantly overruled.
  
• Game 24 DOJ TURKEYS vs. Carnahan Evans’ Court Jesters. The night's final game is a calm and collegial affair until someone makes a federal case out of it.

Let’s dive in to the details:

GAME 21:

LET FREEDOM SWING v. McGLOVENS, Twibell Pierson v. Kutak

Let Freedom Swing Batting Order: Scott Pierson, Cole Roberts, Bryan Delleville, Jason Johnson, Tarek Masri

McGlovens Batting Order: Joseph Reid, Taylor White, Collin Elliott

Top of the first

Delleville pitching.  Reid caught out by Roberts. Elliott caught out by Roberts, leaping just shy of the outfield brush.  Reid files his response a TWO RUN HOMER up up and over the fence. McGlovens plate two in the opening frame and this court (field) is officially in session.

Bottom of the first and top of the second - both teams go three up and three down. 

Bottom of the second

Roberts serves a shot over the wood fence, HOME RUN. Delleville fires off a triple -- both White and Elliott slide for the attempt. No luck but enjoyable to watch. McGlovens 2, Let Freedom Swing 1. The low score doesn’t capture the undercurrent of electricity in this battle of the titans. 

Top of the third

McGlovens build their case. Reid with a magnificent HOME RUN that rockets past the furthest tangent on the field.  Up next, White dittos.  Same song, different singer. HOME RUN. Elliot takes a hit and base, Reid is caught out by Roberts.  White DOES IT AGAIN.  HOME RUN over the privacy fence.  McGlovens head to the field with four more runs.

Bottom of the third

Reid pitching.  Roberts walks. Dellevile pops to Reid- out. Masri out. Pierson takes a base. Roberts demonstrates his version hedge trimming  with a shrub skimming HOME RUN -knocking three runs in. Unsuccessful but commendable attempt to catch by White - shoulders deep-in vines and branches and who knows what.  Brave man. Gap closes to  McGlovens 6, Let Freedom Swing 4.

Fourth inning highlight: Pierson running down a pop that Reid sent airborne, miraculously navigating multiple obstacles for the catch. Determination.

Top of the fifth

White triples.  Elliot line drives. Pierson responds with a sprinting scooping back handed miracle of a catch for the out.

Bottom of the fifth.  Masri fires a triple that slips through Elliot's hands. Pierson, batting with his signature one handed technique, pops one into outer space, called, caught and out attributed to White.  Roberts lines one to Elliot for the out, inning and game.

FINAL SCORE: McGlovens 6, Let Freedom Swing 4

GAME 22:

BENCHWARMERS vs. USUAL SUSPECTS, Spencer Fane v. Criminal Defense Pals

Benchwarmers Batting Order: Doug Reynolds, Alden Smith, Kenzie Hatman, Alec Martinez,

Jake Sappington

Usual Suspects Batting Order: Matt Russell, Adam Woody, Stuart Huffman, Sara Meier, Ty Harden

Top of the first

Huffman pitching.  Reynolds at bat, bringing that “lets gets this party started” energy. HOME RUN over the wood fence. Hatman walks. Martinez walks. Sappington drops one through the tree.  All eyes on Russell, Harden and Woody in a potentially catastrophic convergence as the ball descends through the branches. No one collides and no one catches. This one is s triple 2 RBI. Up next, Reynolds gets hit but doesn’t take his base.    Bad choice – he bats the next one to Huffman and he’s out.

Bottom of the first

Usual Suspects file their response.  Two walks score two runs.  Then Martinez, pitching for the Benchwarmers, is forced to catch a toss while juggling multiple balls at the mound. It works.  And amuses.  After the first: Benchwarmers 2, Usual Suspects 2. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a game.

Top of the second

Huffman pitching. Hatman with solid hit to chaos in the outfield and rolling catch/ out by Woody. Martinez drives one down left field line and Woody snags another out. Sappington up next, hits to Huffman for the catch and out sending the Benchwarmer back outfield.

Bottom of the second.

Martinez pitching. Huffman takes a resonant bean ball. Harden out. Russell out. And no shame in these strike outs because Martinez is throwing crazy pitches that curve up then drop just in time to dinging the top of the backstop. Magical - unless you up to bat.

Top of the third.

Huffman pitching. Reynolds to Harden and out. Smith walks. Hartman single. Bases loaded. Martinez to Woody and out. Sappington fires a triple that pops out of Woody's grasp for three RBI. Reynolds follows by embedding one in the brush at the top of the wood fence.  This one would have been a home run in any other jurisdiction.  However, due to the persistence of Harden, it was eventually retrieved.  Not an out- but a downgrade to triple. Hatman adds a triple of her own, two more runs score, and the Benchwarmers clock four runs in the inning.

Bottom of the third

Three up three out. Benchwarmers 9, Usual Suspects 2

Fourth inning

Martinez triples into the privacy fence and Reynolds drives in another run. Benchwarmers 11, Usual Suspects 2.

Fifth inning – final game highlights

In the top Sappington threads an uncatchable triple through the tree obstacle course.  In the bottom Meier gets a solid hit, Sappington scrambles, trips -- and still makes the catch. Game over, verdict in:

FINAL SCORE: Benchwarmers 11, Usual Suspects 2

GAME 23:

APPEALABLES vs. GIDEON'S SOLDIERS,  31st Circuit Judges v. Public Defenders

Appealables: Judges Andy Hosmer, Kaiti Greenwade, Kyle Kanable, Phil Fuhrman, Kirsten Poppen, John Lukachick, Josh Christensen

Gideon's Soldiers: Scott Skocy, Sam Reed, Luke Dainty, John Peacock, Darlene Villalobos

Top of the first

Fuhrman pitching.  Three up and out

Bottom of the first

Dainty pitching. Hosmer warms up batting left-handed, then switches to right for a triple. Greenwade line drive to Skocy and out. Lukachick to Peacock and out. Fuhrman out. Game paused as toddler is enticed off the field. Not a party to this action. First is scoreless.

Top of the second

Villalobos to Hosmer who calls it and catches it.  She’s out.  Next up for the Soldiers is Skocy who SUPERPOWERS one over the chain link fence for a HOME RUN. So much for sucking up to the judges.

Bottom of the second

Dainty pitching.  Lukachick to Skocy – out.  Christensen, with his special brand of subtle excellence steps up and delivers a HOME RUN.  No commotion, no fanfare. Just very impressive. Hosmer out. Greenwade hits to Peacock who gleefully exclaims “I caught a ball.”  Congrats.  Out.

After two: 1-1.

Third and fourth innings stay deadlocked. Villalobos rips a couple of decent hits but Hosmer foils her with the catch/ outs. Kanable hits one that deflects off the ball bucket and Fuhrman spends the fourth bouncing balls off the backdrop, unusual, legal, and lethal, pitching strategy.  Score unchanged but angst accumulating in this close and competitive game.

Top of the fifth

Peacock smacks and briefly breaks the backdrop. He’s out (unrelated to assault on the equipment). Next, Dainty blazes one over the chain link. HOME RUN!  The Soldiers pull ahead by one run.  It is still anyone’s game.

Bottom of the fifth

Dainty takes the mound..  Three up, three down.  Game over, Soldiers advance to the semis.

FINAL SCORE: Gideon's Soldiers 2, Appealables 1

GAME 24:

DOJ TURKEYS vs. COURT JESTERS. Department of Justice v. Carnahan Evans

DOJ Turkeys: Hannah Lucas, Cameron Beaver, Casey Clark, Randy Eggert, Stephanie Wan

Court Jesters: Brett Hodges, Jay Preston, Clayton Campbell, Christiaan Horton

Top of the First.

Horton pitching.

Lucas to Horton and out. Beaver up next with a fantastic HOME RUN over the chain link fence. Other stuff happens.

Bottom of the first

Beaver pitching - races to retire Hodges on a line drive to right. Preston pops to Lucas for a juggling catch. Turkeys with the early edge: 1-0

Second inning is quiet -- just enough action to keep everyone watching. In the top - three up three down. In the bottom, Horton, Hodges and Campbell all out with hits to Clark.  Preston lands a nice triple into the tree but no one is on base – for the aforementioned (Clark) reasons.

Top of the third

Horton pitching.  Clark at bat- switching gears from heroic outfielder to HOME RUN HITTER. Tally another one for the Turkeys.  Eggert follows with a single.  Lucas to Horton and out. 

Top of the fourth

Beaver with a high fly to Hodges and out. Clark single, Eggert to Horton and out.  Wan single. Lucas double and RBI. Turkeys lead 3-0 but this game still feels highly competitive.  Then Beaver, who leaves for a European vacation first thing in the morning, decides to pack up this game – smashing a big HOME RUN, three RBI.  Turkeys finish this at bat with four more runs across the plate.

Bottom of the fourth

Beaver pitching.  Hodges with a triple. Preston with a double RBI off the yard sign in center field. The Jesters are finally on the scoreboard. Campbell walks. Bases loaded, Horton up and powers one straight for HR territory but Clark is waiting with a cool and confident one handed grab for the out. Turkeys 6, Jesters 1

Top of the fifth

Horton pitching.  Wan walks, Lucas takes a hit and base. Beaver takes a hit and stays at bat – risky move?  Not with Beaver.  He slaps another HOME RUN over the chain link and into private property, 3RBI.  Clark doubles, Wan takes a base, Lucas hits one to left field and Campbell – out.  Beaver takes another hit and keeps batting. Déjà vu? This time he hits a triple, 2RBI.  Clark triples in another run then Eggert triples in one more!  Wan hits one to Horton. Out.  Everyone on this roster contributes. Turkeys rest their case adding seven more runs in this inning. 

Bottom of the fifth

Beaver pitching.  Preston out. Campbell out.  Horton manages a triple past Clark.  Hodges hits to Eggert for the catch, out and game. 

FINAL SCORE: DOJ Turkeys 13, Court Jesters 1

See you June 16 for the semis!