The tension in the room was palpable as Round 6 commenced on Spooky Pinball’s 2025 release, Beetlejuice. With the overall tournament title hanging in the balance, the mood shifted from friendly competition to intense focus. The game stretched into a grueling 37-minute marathon, forcing the top contenders to battle for every last available point. Jeffrey Lepine, Garrett Smoke, and Nick Smith found themselves sharing this critical four-player group, knowing that the final standings hung entirely on this single machine.
Lepine ultimately claimed the top position on the board, pushing Smoke into second and leaving Smith to settle for third. This late-game clash didn’t just decide a single round; it sent a shockwave through the entire leaderboard of the 5 TPL Bonanza 5/19/26 thru 6/23/26 #4. The June 9 event, played under overcast skies with a sticky 85°F heat outside, quickly became a pressure cooker inside. By the time the Beetlejuice flippers stopped moving, the 166-minute tournament had concluded with a rare double-tie on the podium.
A Heavy-Hitting Dozen in Oviedo
Tucked away inside a bustling bowling alley, Oviedo’s The Pinball Lounge has built a reputation for offering a laid-back, welcoming atmosphere for enthusiasts. But do not let the relaxed vibe or the convenient digital payment systems fool you; the machines here are meticulously maintained and kept in flawless mechanical condition. This pristine upkeep draws serious competitors from across central Florida, transforming the cozy arcade into a fiercely contested arena.
The format for the evening was Group Match Play, where four-player groups fight for points based on finishing positions across six intense rounds. With only 12 participants registered, the field was remarkably small, creating incredibly close quarters. However, the overall talent density in the room was staggering.
All twelve players held active IFPA rankings, and the eight state-ranked competitors boasted an impressive average Florida NACS rank of #104. Three of the players in attendance were ranked in the state’s top 25, meaning there were no easy draws and absolutely no room to breathe. In a concentrated field like this, one bad game can instantly undo an entire afternoon of hard work, while one great game can vault a player straight to the top.
Smith’s Early Surge and Troum’s Upset
The path to that final Beetlejuice showdown was paved by Nick Smith’s early and aggressive dominance. Coming into the event as IFPA #1082 and Florida NACS #18, Smith was already riding a wave of momentum, boasting two victories in his last five outings. He proved exactly why he is currently winning by putting up the top score on three of the six machines he played during the tournament. Smith dominated his groups with first-place finishes in Rounds 2, 3, and 5, setting a punishing pace for the rest of the pack.
Meanwhile, the unforgiving nature of the 12-player bracket meant top seeds were immediately fighting for their tournament lives. In the very first round, the brand-new 2025 release Star Wars: Fall of the Empire (LE) hosted a heavily contested 26-minute match. David Troum pulled off a spectacular performance, besting highly ranked Garrett Smoke to take first place in the four-player group. Smoke, sitting at IFPA #1453 and Florida NACS #15, had to settle for third on the Stern machine, proving that in this dense field, past accolades offered no protection.
Resurgent Contenders and Shifting Rivalries
Garrett Smoke did not let his early stumble define his night, immediately bouncing back to win his Round 2 match on Fathom. His relentless push back up the leaderboard allowed him to step ahead of Al Neumann in their ongoing rivalry, breaking a previous tie to take a 3-2 historical lead. Neumann, an increasingly dangerous competitor who is a rising player this year sitting at IFPA #1,073, still managed a highly respectable fifth-place overall finish.
John Moschella also thrived in the tight quarters, leaning on his status as the strongest player in the room at IFPA #807. With an average career finish of 9th place and a wealth of experience, Moschella knew exactly how to grind out points when the pressure mounted. He found his stride late, including a crucial Round 6 victory on Evil Dead that helped him tie his personal rivalry with Smoke at 4-4.
Even deeper in the pack, the competition remained incredibly fierce. Jeff Welch, currently on a genuine upward trajectory this season at IFPA #7,485, battled hard through the crowded bracket but ultimately finished 10th. Yet, the true wild card of the evening was Jeffrey Lepine. Currently sitting at IFPA #8,212, Lepine has been a rapidly rising player this year and picked the perfect night to peak.
The Final Ripple Settles the Podium
After a quiet start, Lepine caught fire in the back half of the tournament, rattling off back-to-back group wins in Rounds 4 and 5. This surging momentum is exactly what brought Lepine, Smith, and Smoke together at Beetlejuice in Round 6. Lepine’s clutch first-place finish on the Spooky Pinball machine secured his third consecutive round win, completing an incredible comeback. By taking the top spot in that final group, Lepine tied Nick Smith for first place overall, simultaneously cutting into Smith’s head-to-head lead to narrow their personal rivalry to 2-1.
Smith’s third-place finish on the machine was just enough to maintain his share of the crown. It also allowed Smith to separate from Garrett Smoke in their shared history, giving him a definitive 5-4 edge. Smoke’s second-place group finish secured him a tie for third place overall alongside John Moschella.
When a tournament features just a dozen players, the margin for error completely vanishes. Every ball lock, every drained shot, and every head-to-head grouping carried massive weight at The Pinball Lounge. The dense concentration of state-ranked talent meant players were constantly cannibalizing each other’s points. Ultimately, it was a night defined by its tight competitive constraints, perfectly captured by the fact that after 18 games of pinball, the top of the podium was too crowded for just one champion.
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