Around the league - 4th July 2020
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| Miikka Riikonen dominated the game with 5 runs batted in |
Featured game
Kankaanpään Maila v Hyvinkään Tahko
2-0 (3-2, 5-4)
Only 2 days before, Hyvinkää opened the season with a 2-0 win over Kankaanpää in which they conceded no runs. This match looked to be either a replay of opening day or a chance for Kankaanpää to get revenge. The conditions were not ideal to say the least, with heavy rain throughout the game. Kankaanpää had only won 2 of the las 5 games between he 2 teams, both being from supervuoro (extra inning), the other 3 games were 2-0 wins for Hyvinkää. Since the Halli-SM games earlier this year, big changes have taken place at Hyvinkää, with their game manager being replaced with CEO Miika Rantotorikka and Markus Tuikka leaving the club.
In the damp conditions it was Hyvinkää who scored first, with Matias Kauppinen bringing Juha Korhonen home as the throw from Kankaanpää’s midfield line was bundled at home by Lukkari Joona Lehtinen. The mistake was soon rectified as Petteri Kortelainen put the home team in the lead with a 3 run home-run (kunniajuoksu) that dipped in centre field and wrong footed a diving Teemu Nikkanen; the decision to chase down the ball an try and stop a single run (rather than holding back and waiting for the ball and concede a run) proved costly. Kortelainen’s 3 run blast proved to be decisive for the jakso as Hyvinkää came up short 3-2.
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| Kortelainen’s 3 run home-run in the first jakso was decisive in the game |
Hyvinkää were unlucky with Kankaanpää picking up 2 home runs with runners on base, but statistically they were edged by the home team. Kankaanpää had a success rate of 56% at moving he point runner (compared to Hyvinkää’s 53%) and had more 3rd base situations (18 compared to Hyvinkää’s 16). The big issue for Hyvinkää however was the fact that hard-hitter Juha Korhonen was completely shut down in the game, bringing only 1 run home from 7 attempts. Hyvinkää’s offence is capable of big scores, as was the case in the Manse training game a few weeks prior; however they were out-muscled by 2 key hits from Kankaanpää and failed to find a way back into the game.
Next up for Kankaanpää is the newly promoted Manse, whereas Tahko will face KPL at Pihkala, hoping that the home field will give them an edge and bounce back.
KaMa - Tahko2 - 0 (3-2, 5-4)
Yleisöä: 380
Elsewhere in the league
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| Manse almost spoiled the party at KSS |
Vimpeli beat a surprisingly energised Koskenkorva in 2 straight jakso to win their first game of the season. Both jakso were decided by a single run; however Vimpeli’s overall percentage at moving the point runner was a whopping 70% (47/67) compared to Koskenkorva’s still above par 58% (42/72). Both Jane Mäkelä (Vimpeli) and Patrik Wahlsten (Koskenkorva) had big games with 13 runs batted in between them (7 and 6 respectively).
Kempele opened their season’s home games with a spring in heir step following their surprise victory against Sotkamo; this time Siilinjärvi were their opponents. Kempele started big and after a 14-5 first jakso win the visitors were on the back foot. Whilst Kempele scored 3 runs in the 1st inning of the second jakso, they were shut out in the remaining 3 innings and the home team seemed to have run out of steam. SiiPe forced the supervuoro and outscored the hosts 2-4 for their first win this season. Between the two teams, fans enjoyed an astounding 34 runs with 5home runs (kunniajuoksu). It’s still early days in the season, but there may be some surprises in the way the table shapes up this season.
3rd July 2020
Kouvolan Pallonlyöjat v Manse PP, Tampere
2-1s (7-4, 4-7, 1-0)
4th July 2020
Koskenkorvan Urheilijat v Vimpelin Veto
0-2 (8-9, 4-5)
Kempeleen Kiri v Siilinjärven Pesis
1-2s (14-5, 3-6, 2-4)
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