Marko Pelkonen’s great performance at the plate gave KeKi the edge in this local derby game

Pattijoen Urheilijat, Raahe v Kempeleen Kiri
0-1 (2-2, 2-4)

This week’s featured game is the exciting matchup between PattU and Kempele. There is title more than 30 miles between the two teams and their final positions in the table this season could equally be close. PattU struggled offensively in 2020, whereas Kempele’s defence seemed to be the issue. The matchup sees veteran PattU pitcher Topi Kosonen go up against Kempele’s explosive lineup, which tore apart JoMa’s defence last week at Kerubi stadium. Kempele’s difficulties come from key areas defensively, but pitcher Jani Lassila continues to impress; if PattU’s offence stalls, or some of the key areas in KeKi’s defence start to firm up as the season progresses, the gap between these two teams could start to appear and put Kempele in prime spot for a top 8 finish. As it stood going into this game however, both teams only had 1 point this season and are searching for their first win.

In previous games between the 2 teams, PattU have won 4 of the last 5, but it is worth noting that the 3 regular season wins all came at home. Since then Kempele have boosted their squad with the addition of Antti Korhonen. PattU are relieved to see Jari Törmänen in good health as he enters his 20th Superpesis season; without him in the lineup, PattU struggled in 2020 and very nearly missed the playoffs.

Season statistics before the game

1st Jakso

Before the game, Lauri Vuollo was handed his debut as pitcher for Kempele in place of Lassila.

Kempele batted first in the first jakso, and were able to find a chink in PattU’s defence to score first. Marko Pelkonen’s line drive hit narrowly sailed over the outstretched glove of the 1st baseman to bring Markus Keski-Petäjä to score (0-1). PattU’s response at the bottom of the inning was cut short when Jari Törmänen failed to capitalise on a bases-loaded situation, following some precision shots from veterans Topi Kosonen and Sami Haapakoski.

After a scoreless 2nd inning, Kempele added an insurance run from a stunning hit off the bat of Antti Korhonen. The former Sotkamo man proved his worth with a short hit that hugged the left field foul-line. Onni Määttä had such a great lead from 2nd base, he was practically at 3rd base before the ball had hit the ground. From there, Määttä had no trouble in reaching home to score (0-2). With Jari Törmänen having struggling to bring runners home so far in the game, fellow hard-hitter Juuso Keski-Koukkari was given the nod to try and pull the game back. JKK did just that, with a tight bunt hit towards 2nd base forcing a race between Teemu Juntunen on 3rd base and KeKi’s 2nd baseman. As the 2nd Baseman reached the ball, it was a foregone conclusion and PattU were back to a 1 run deficit (1-2). The rally could have continued, but an intentional high hit from Törmänen left JKK stranded from 1st base and ultimately declared out.

Topi Kosonen blitzes KeKi in the 4th inning

In the top of the 4th inning, Topi Kosonen showed why he remains one of the league’s top pitchers, finally picking off Sami-Jukka Korvola after a number of attempts left Korvola resigned to being stranded between 2nd and 3rd base. The second and third outs in the inning were also well worked plays by Kosonen, with the final out at home plate with a diving stretch to collect the ball. With KeKi’s bats now silenced, it was all down to PattU’s offence to try and tip the game in their favour. After a brief timeout in PattU’s inning, Törmänen topped off his disappointing jakso by striking out with the bases loaded. JKK came to the plate and gave PattU the lift they needed - a hit just beyond the midfield line that found enough space to bring home Pavo Pelto. However, having tied the game, PattU’s inning ended with an out on the same play. With the jakso tied at 2-2, the game hung in the balance.

2nd Jakso

PattU started the jakso with momentum, taking advantage of a wild throw over the head of 3rd basemen and setting up Topi Kosonen for an RBI. Kosonen’s bounding hit to the right infield had enough power on it to see Tuukka Sarkkinen reach home and Kosonen reach 2nd base (1-0). Kempele however steadied their defence and Jari Törmänen was unable to capitalise yet again. Kempele’s response in the bottom of the 1st inning came once more of the bat of Marko Pelkonen, where his bunt hit was miss-thrown to Kosonen at home and handed Onni Määttä his second run of the day. Pelkonen continued his at bat with a routine hit to left field that gave Markus Keski-Petäjä enough time to score (1-2).

In the 2nd inning, PattU’s offence was effectively contained by Kempele and they struggled to break through. But it was Juuso Keski-Koukkari with a hit to deep left field that levelled the score and ended the inning at the same time (2-2). With the game on a knife-edge, Kempele’s Marko Pelkonen added another RBI to his tally with a soft hit to right field (2-3). Unfortunately, Jussi Korhonen misread the game plan and was stranded on 1st base with Pelkonen, being put out at 2nd base for the final out of the inning.

Kempele poured on the pressure with a double-play to end PattU’s 3rd inning, before adding another run in the bottom of the inning. Pelkonen again found space with a hit to centre field and gave Markus Keski-Petäjä plenty of time to score (2-4). With the stage set for a tense 4th inning, KeKi missed a chance at an easy out at 3rd base from Topi Kosonen’s hit to 2nd base. Jari Törmänen managed to load the bases, setting up Juuso Keski-Koukkari to rescue the game. JKK’s deep hit to the outfield was caught and squandered the chance to score, as runners from 2nd and 3rd base were retired. JKK was put out at first base to end the inning and the game

Analysis

This game was a great game to watch - it wasn’t high scoring, but there were some great defensive moments and precision hits that showcased the best these 2 teams can offer. It is clear that the teams are playing at or about the same level at the moment, because this game was anyone’s for the taking until the very end.

Marko Pelkonen had 5 RBIs in the game from 6 attempts, which was enough to secure his team’s first victory of the season. Some solid hitting from Onni Määttä helped KeKi build a foundation for their offence, with 6 hits from 7 attempts to move the point runner and scoring 3 runs. In the end, PattU’s overall success rate at moving the point runner was too low compared to the visitors, 46% compared to 65%. The biggest gap in PattU’s game was Jari Törmänen, who went 0 for 4 with runners on 3rd base and was 1 for 9 overall. This stat really tells the story for where PattU struggled; the game was otherwise fairly balanced, but Törmänen was shut down in the game by a combination of great defensive work, pitching and poor hitting. The result of this was to truly take the energy out of PattU’s game. Despite Juuso Keski-Koukkari’s 3 RBI from 4 attempts, he too was effectively managed out of the game by KeKi’s defence and he was 3 for 8 overall with a success rate of 38%.

The win for KeKi will be a significant boost to a team that rattled Joensuu last week and has ambitions of a top 8 spot. For PattU, the result will come as a disappointment, but there are still a number of positives to take away from the game.

Game stats