Power rankings - 12th July to 18th July 2021


Now that IPV are finally out of self-isolation, all the teams were back in action last week. Who were the ones who rose to the top of our power rankings?


1st Manse PP, Tampere

Despite a narrow loss to KPL last week, Manse tops the power rankings because they beat Vimpeli and JymyJussit. Manse sit comfortably at the top end of the table, and appear to be striking up a rivalry with KPL; who they have narrowly lost to twice this season.  


2nd Kouvolan Pallonlyöjat

KPL remain in top end of the power rankings as they ride on their current wave of success; in fact their winning streak continued intact last week (despite playing Manse) to 12 games. KPL have won both of their games against Manse this season and are currently the team to beat. KPL’s other game last week was a routine win over local rivals Hamina. Curiously, young pitcher Elias Pitkänen pitched in both encounters between the two teams this season, but for different teams! 


3rd Hyvinkään Tahko

Tahko have had a surge in results recently, winning their last 4 home games in a row. Those wins have included Vimpeli and Kempele in previous weeks, but last week saw a win over Joensuu and struggling Hamina. Tahko are enjoying a solid performance at bat, with usual stars Juha Korhonen and Teemu Nikkanen, but also of note is Kalle-Tapio Huusko and Jere Vikström’s performances. 



Worst performance - Haminan Palloilijat

Three straight losses puts Hamina at the bottom f the power rankings to match their status as ottom of the table. Hamina are in flux at the moment having changed game managers in the last week and they are still searching for form defensively. Their loss to Kitee on Friday last week was particularly painful, as Hamina went into the 4th inning of eh second jakso with the lead and only 3 outs stood in the way of forcing extra innings… but Kitee found cracks in their left field and exploited the setting sun to great effect and put 15 more runs on the board to secure the win. Hamina’s other losses came at the hands of KPL and Tahko, who both are top performing teams at the moment, so it was always going to be a tough week for HP.


Worthy mention - Koskenkorvan Urheilijat

KoU have been enjoying their best success in years, having won 4 straight games coming into this week - their longest winning streak since July 2018. Sadly, it was not to last and Koskenkorva lost to Kempele and Sotkamo, despite some spirited efforts. As Koskenkorva finished the week with 0 points earned, they were candidates for the bottom of the power rankings; however it didn’t seem fair to put KoU bottom given the fact that they managed to tie a jakso with champions Sotkamo.


Full Power Rankings

The full rankings for last week are:



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Playoff previews 2021: Semifinals

Finals review 2021

Playoff previews 2021: the final