It took two games in one for Thomas Jefferson and Federal Way to settle the issue in their South Puget Sound League South Division baseball finale last week.

Federal Way led, 3-2 in the top of the fourth, as the action opened last Monday, but the skies poured forth rain, hail and thunder and stopped the action right there. A close lightning strike requires a 30-minute wait, but the wait ended much earlier with the arrival of the hail and rain that swamped the field.

The game had already been postponed from an earlier date by rain.

The two teams returned to the Thomas Jefferson field Tuesday and this time it was for real, with scattered clouds and sunshine conspired to get the game over in a full seven innings -- with the TJ Raiders winning, 5-1.

Both teams went on to the SPSL playoffs Friday at Heritage Park next to Rogers High School in Puyallup.

The Raiders absorbed a 3-2 loss to Emerald Ridge, but still earned the No. 6 seed to this week's district playoffs.

Federal Way's season, meanwhile, ended with a 7-5 SPSL playoff loss to Curtis.

Todd Beamer qualified for the SPSL playoffs from the South Division and lost to Tahoma, 6-3, but still advanced as the SPSL No. 4 district entry. The Titans play Kentlake Saturday.

Jordan Beers struck out six for TJ in its game against Emerald Ridge, and Jerett Hardy hit 3-for-3 with a home run, while a TJ Horsfall home run and a Nick Taniely double with two RBI highlighted the Eagles' action against Curtis.

Kelvin Ketchum hit 2-for-2 and scored two runs for Beamer in its playoff, with Ryan Beck hitting 2-for-3, Sean Goforth 1-for-2 with a double and one RBI and Justin Lee 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI.

Derek Voigt hit 2-for-2 with a walk and one RBI in the regular season finale concluding Tuesday.

Taylor Stark was the winning pitcher for the Raiders in that game, allowing only an unearned run seven hits with two strikeouts.

"Federal Way is probably one of the best in the league," Stark said. "I went in saying the'd be tough to pitch to. But I hit my spots and did what I was supposed to do."

The team has five pitchers on its roster, which is much to the pleasure of head coach Mike Church.

"So we have good depth there," he said. "It's been a blast to coach these guys. They battled and played hard."