Black Fly down to five teams
- Grant Morgan beats the throw to the plate with the game-winning run after Wiseguys catcher Matt Kratz, right, was unable to come up with the ball in Tuesday’s Black Fly playoff matchup. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)
- Kyle Varden of Tail O‘ the Pup connects on a home run ball during his team’s playoff victory Tuesday over the Redskins. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)
- Redskins shortstop Carter Sturgeon sends a throw to first base to force out a runner while his brother Drew backs up the play during action Tuesday against Tail O‘ the Pup. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

Grant Morgan beats the throw to the plate with the game-winning run after Wiseguys catcher Matt Kratz, right, was unable to come up with the ball in Tuesday’s Black Fly playoff matchup. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)
SARANAC LAKE — The number of teams left alive in the Black Fly softball league is down to five.
On Tuesday, Tail O’ the Pup completed a two-game sweep of its quarterfinal series while the Elks Club came up with some final-inning dramatics to keep its hopes alive.
Tuesday’s pair of quarterfinal matchups were both come-from-behind affairs.
After winning its opener 17-6 over the Redskins, Tail O’ the Pup used the long ball to rally for a 14-12 victory in game No. 2 to advance to the semifinal round, which starts next week. Jacques Demars Jr. blasted a pair of homers in the win, including a three-run shot, and teammate Kyle Varden connected with another round-tripper. Tom Callaghan pounded an inside-the-park, three-run homer in a losing effort for the Redskins, who are mainly comprised of former and current members of the Saranac Lake High School baseball team.
So far, the Elks Club remains the Cinderella story of the Black Fly League.

Kyle Varden of Tail O‘ the Pup connects on a home run ball during his team’s playoff victory Tuesday over the Redskins. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)
After winning just three games and finishing in the basement during the regular season, the Elks won its play-in game against Cavu Cafe to reach their quarterfinal round. The Elks then tied its series at 1-1 against Wiseguys Tuesday by mounting a five-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning to claim a 12-11 victory. James Barnemann delivered the walk-off hit that sent Elks Club teammate speeding home from second base with the game-winning run.
The Elks Club and Wiseguys will tangle tonight in the third and deciding game of their quarterfinal series at the Black Fly softball complex starting at 6 p.m.
The Rusty Nail and Bitters and Bones finished as the league’s top two teams during the regular season and earned byes for the quarterfinal round and will await their semifinal opponents in series that are slated to start next week. The Rusty Nail is the league’s defending champion.

Redskins shortstop Carter Sturgeon sends a throw to first base to force out a runner while his brother Drew backs up the play during action Tuesday against Tail O‘ the Pup. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)