Superpesis roundup

Tahko couldn’t build on their rally in the second jakso as a controversial call cast a shadow over the game Hyvinkään Tahko v Sotkamon Jymy 0-2 (1-2, 3-4) The next regular season game that I attended was the matchup between Tahko and Sotkamo. Despite a strong first jakso in their last game, Tahko were overwhelmed by Manse’s firepower. Whilst Sotkamo does not have the same style of offence as Manse, Sotkamo has consistently manufactured runs. Lauri Rönkkö has had a strong season so far and Toni Laakso has slotted into the lineup well. Sotkamo’s last game against Seinäjoki however proved that defensively they can be vulnerable, as they almost blew a 4 run lead in the 4th inning of the second jakso.  In Tahko’s last game, Manse took great pleasure in exploiting the inexperience of Joona Iivonen and put 19 runs past them across the 2 jakso. The team needed to reset and focus on this game, as the struggle for a top 8 spot intensifies. Tahko were 7th in the table going into this gam...

If Rantakenttä was the field of dreams, Pihkala felt like the stuff of nightmares for Tahko’s poor defence Places 6-9 At the lower end of the top 8 there was a real scramble for the final playoff spots. This post  focuses on places 6 to 9 as they finished in the regular season and considers how 6th to 8th place performed in the postseason. Some general observations for 6th to 9th place: Hyvinkää had a wild ride this season, with moments that looked like they would be firmly out of the top 8 and talks of being a potential top 4 team. If there was one word that gave any Tahko fan a cold chill it was “defence”. In a park that has such wide open spaces beyond the outfield, Pihkala can become your own worst enemy if you have a leaky defence. The signs were there from the very build up to the season, with training games against KPL and Manse showing some fundamental flaws. But Hyvinkää have a pretty resilient batting lineup and with veteran Juha Korhonen leading the charge, they coul...

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....

A game of 2 halves sees a mix of both excellent and disastrous fielding for both teams Hyvinkään Tahko v Vimpelin Veto 0-2 (0-6, 3-4) Hyvinkää have been building on their performances since the return of Juha Korhonen after an injury sidelined him for a couple of weeks. The comeback comes at the critical moment in the season when teams are jostling for position before the end of the season in just 2 weeks time. Vimpeli have continued to show flashes of brilliance this season, but there are occasions in matches where the game has slipped away from them. In the first jakso, Hyvinkää came to bat swinging, but finding nothing but Vimpeli shirts. It seemed every gap on the pitch was shut down and all of a sudden Pihkala seemed very small - that is, of course, until Vimpeli came to the plate. With the bases loaded, a bunt hit was fielded and thrown by Hyvinkää’s 1st baseman, only for the throw to 3rd go over the 3rd baseman’s head and scamper off for 2 runs. With runs on the board alrea...