Superpesis roundup

Sotkamo were top of the class this year, but their performance wasn’t all plain sailing Places 1-5 Now that the season has finished, it is take to take a look back at how the teams performed in 2020. This first post focuses on the top 5 as they finished in the regular season and considers how they performed in the postseason. Some general observations for the top 5: Joensuu had the world at their feet coming into the postseason, and they feared no opponents. With a winning streak that went to 23 games in total, they looked almost unstoppable, only their local rivals (Kitee) proved to be a challenge. But the bubble burst with a short series against KPL who unlocked Joensuu’s defence at Kerubi in game 1 and Joensuu imploded, losing to KPL and the bronze series to Vimpeli. There was clearly a lot of expectation in the Joensuu ranks, as there had been all year, but a spirited KPL were determined to seize the moment. The moment however may never have been, if Kitee had clinched the se...

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 T...

  Can Kitee turn a newly refurbished Rantakentä into a field of dreams? Joensuun Maila (1) v Pattijoen Urheilijat, Raahe (8) Head to head: Joensuu hold all the cards in this matchup - PattU has only beaten them once since 2015, which was on 30th July 2019. Whilst Pattijoki tied the first jakso in their first of the 2 games against JoMa this season on 18th July, they have posed no real threat to one of the most solid defences in the league. Form: Joensuu’s form is immaculate; they haven’t lost a game since 9th July this year! That’s 21 straight victories. Curiously both of Joensuu’s losses this season have been at home, so they have 100% away record. In their last 5 games, Joensuu dropped points to IPV and Kitee, but went 2-0 in the other 3 games - including their most recent game against PattU on 20th August. PattU’s form has been pretty poor all season; however they have won 4 of their last 5 games (their last defeat in fact was against Joensuu). Prediction: Joensuu to win 2-0....

  Kosonen’s big at bat in the 3rd inning secured the first jakso for PattU Kiteen Pallo -90 v Pattijoen Urheilijat, Raahe   1-2s (4-7, 5-3, 1-2) After a busy week last week that meant that I couldn’t write up any game reviews, I set up a twitter poll to see what extra game I should review - the winner was Kitee v PattU. PattU’s season has been a stark contrast to Kitee’s. Many people had high hopes for Pattijoki this year, with predictions of finishing in the top 4; however a slow start to the season, mixed with a season ending injury for Jari Törmänen scuppered that plan. Since then PattU has been playing catch-up with the other teams in the top 8 and (for most of the season) had been losing ground. Sitting in 9th place, it is very much “do or die” time for Pattijoki as only a spot in the top 8 can salvage a terrible season. Kitee on the other hand had been disregarded in the buildup to the season, but there is magic in the air of the refurbished Rantakenttä stadium as ...