Postseason review: quarter finals
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| KPL overcome a competitive Kitee side to advance |
Joensuun Maila (1) v Pattijoen Urheilijat, Raahe (8)
Review: Joensuu maintain their winning streak and advance to the quarterfinals. PattU showed grit and determination to make it into the top 8 at the end of a frustrating season for them; however their chances against Joensuu were always slim. In Game 1 confidently took a 4-0 lead in the the first jakso, leaving PattU to climb a mountain. A conciliation run from Juuso Keski-Koukkari was all PattU could do to dent the reigning champions lead. The second jakso however was quite different; PattU came to the plate with clear heads and Juuso Keski-Koukkari drove Miikka Matikka home to give his team a 0-1 lead that lasted until the 4th inning when a wild throw saved Joensuu from extra innings. With the second jakso tied, PattU struggled to mount an attack and keep the game alive - the story of their season. In Game 2, the first jakso had echoes of the end to game 1, where this time Jari Törmänen bagged an RBI in the 1st inning to give PattU hope, which ended up being undone by Joensuu in the 4th inning with RBIs from Juha Puhtimäki and Aleksi Rautiainen. With the daylight fading as fast as Pattijoki’s chances of reaching the quarterfinals, Joensuu turned up the heat and outscored the home team 1-3. Overall the series was a mismatch, despite moments where PattU lead the games or kept the score tied, it never looked in doubt that the reigning champions would regret their choice of opponents.
Prediction: Joensuu to win 2-0.
Actual result: Joensuu won 2-0.
Game 1: 1-0 (4-1, 1-1)
Game 2: 0-2 (1-2, 1-3)
Sotkamon Jymy (2) v Seinäjoen JymyJussit (7)
Roope Korhonen shows his skills
Review: Sotkamo showed little concern against the flagging Seinäjoki side that ended the season with a run of bad form. Despite Sotkamo putting on a strong performance, neither of their wins came easily and Seinäjoki tied a jakso in each game. Aapo Komulainen played as pitcher in place of last year’s silver medal winning Ville Väliaho, who had to watch from he stands. Aapo’s performances this season in the Lukkari role have been good and Sotkamo has good options going forward. In Game 1 the first jakso was a close run thing, with Seinäjoki taking a narrow lead going into the 3rd inning; however Konsta Kurikka’s RBI tied the jakso and set up the second period as an “all or nothing jakso”. Whilst Sotkamo’s bats seemed sluggish in the first jakso, they were in full swing in the second as the home team racked up 7 unanswered runs going into the bottom of the 2nd inning, including a bases loaded kunniajuoksu (home run) by the veteran Roope Korhonen. Despite a heroic fight back from Seinäjoki, 3 runs was all they could muster and Sotkamo took the first step towards another quarterfinal series win. Game 2 was tight, despite Sotkamo putting significant pressure on the Seinäjoki defence (with 17 3rd base situations compared to Seinäjoki’s 7) the floodgates never opened. Instead Sotkamo edged ahead of Seinäjoki with a 0-2 lead to win the first jakso. Facing elimination, Seinäjoki’s Elmeri Lieto and Henri Itävalo gave the home team a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning, but this was short lived, as Sotkamo drew level in the 2nd inning with Roope’s 2 RBI. As time started to run out for Seinäjoki, Roope Korhonen notched his 3rd RBI of the jakso to give Sotkamo a slender lead. With the game all but over, Toni Marjamäki brought Attention Kontio home for a consolation run that tied the jakso and denied Sotkamo bragging rights.
Prediction: Sotkamo to win 2-0.
Actual result: Sotkamo won 2-0.
Game 1: 1-0 (3-3, 7-3)
Game 2: 0-1 (0-2, 3-3)
Vimpelin Veto (3) v Hyvinkään Tahko (6)
Tahko’s big inning at Pihkala
Review: Vimpeli came into this game as firm favourites, although Hyvinkää has a lot of potential in its lineup, things haven’t gone to plan for them this season. In Game 1 Vimpeli set the pace with 5 runs over 2 innings, leaving Hyvinkää to chase the game. Slowly building their offence in the first jakso, Hyvinkää only managed to score 3 times across 4 innings, leaving Vimpeli 6-3 at the end of the 4th inning. A strong start to the second jakso by Vimpeli with 3 runs in the first inning was enough to close out the game, as Hyvinkää were he’d scoreless over the 4 innings. Game 2 saw a very different start and Hyvinkää made use of every bit of space at he hitter-friendly Pihkala. Juha Korhonen and Riku Hokkanen blew vimpeli away with 4 RBIs each in the 3rd inning to give Hyvinkää a much needed boost and keep their postseason dreams alive. If the first jakso was all about Tahko, then the second was all about Vimpeli, who showed a lot of resolve to hold Hyvinkää scoreless and put 5 runs on the board, forcing the supervuoro. With nothing left in the tank for Hyvinkää, Elmeri Anttila’s RBI was all it took to secure Vimpeli’s place in he Semifinals.
Prediction: Vimpeli to win 2-0.
Actual result: Vimpeli won 2-0.
Game 1: 2-0
Game 2: 1-2s (10-1, 0-5, 0-1)
Kouvolan Pallonlyöjat (4) v Kiteen Pallo -90 (5)
Review: This was easily the most entertaining and unpredictable series of the quarter finals. Game 1 was a huge blow out for Kitee as KPL put 16 unanswered runs on the board to silence their critics. Big hits from Jere Dahlström, Matti Latvala and Toni Laakso combined for 13 of the teams’ runs. Tommi Mäentausta regained his form as leadoff hitter for KPL and was 71% at moving the point runner (5/6 to 1st base) and scored 5 runs in the game. KPL dominated in getting runners in scoring position, with 24 3rd base situations compared to Kitee’s 6. Game 2 was a very different story and Kitee looked feisty and competitive throughout. Cheered on by the large crowds at Rantakenttä, Kitee took a 1 run lead in the first jakso and held KPL at bay to win it 3-2. The second jakso swung back in KPL’s favour at first, but 4 runs from the bats of Joni Lehikoinen (2), Lassi Vasarainen and Hannes Pekkinen catapulted KiPa back into the game and the series. The deciding Game 3 had a thrilling atmosphere and KSS played host to an epic tussle between the 2 teams. Despite Kitee scoring the first run of the game in the 1st inning, KPL dominated the jakso and put 4 runs on the board to leave Kitee on the ropes. The second jakso started with KPL firmly in charge and 4 RBIs from Jere Dahlström (3) and Toni Laakso meant that Kitee would have to pull off the impossible to stay in the game. Despite a 2 run rally from Hannes Pekkinen and Ville Liukku, Kitee’s anniversary year came to an end.
Prediction: KPL to win, 2-1, but don’t be surprised if Kitee win!
Actual result: KPL won 2-1.
Game 1: 2-0 (10-0, 6-0)
Game 2: 2-0 (3-2, 6-4)
Game 3: 2-0 (4-2, 4-2)
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