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...

Hyvinkään Tahko v Manse PP, Tampere 0-1 (7-7, 3-12) After seeing the Itä v Länsi game live, this is the first regular season game that I attended. Manse are in fine form coming into this game, having dominated the East lineup in the Allstar game with 5 selections! Whilst Tahko sat at 6th in the table coming into this game, this game starts a serious of tough matchups, made even tougher by the fact that regular pitcher Petteri Alanen remains out of the lineup through injury and Teemu Nikkanen returning from injury. In Alanen’s place, Joona Iivonen has made his Superpesis debut and steadily shows improvement at the plate. Manse were heavy favourites coming into this game, but Tahko have proven this season that they can win against top teams, having beaten Joensuu (twice!), Vimpeli and (in their most recent match) KPL. Having watched the Itä v Länsi game live, the Manse players clearly stood out with superb performances - Tuomas Jussila’s leaping grab from a blisteringly fast line dr...

It’s less than 7 days until the Itä v Länsi Allstar game and things are hotting up in the regular season. Who shot up the power rankings last week? And who was left searching for answers? 1st Manse PP, Tampere If you only watch one game this season, go back ad watch the intense matchup between Manse and Sotkamo last Friday. The game could easily hav easily been mistaken for being a final, with such great plays and hits. The back and fore eventually swung in Manse’s favour in the first jakso and despite a spirited effort from Sotkamo, Manse pulled off the win… not before Sotkamo denied them the chance at 3 points however! In other games, Manse made light work of Kitee and SiiPe, taking a total of 8 points from the 3 games. 2nd Kempeleen Kiri Kempele are this year’s dark horses and threaten to shake up the usual top 8 and claim their first playoff spot. Kempele continues to improve with each season and last week’s win over Vimpeli away puts them in 2nd place in the power rankings,...

  Kempele stun the home crowd to claim 2 vital points against the league leaders Vimpelin Veto v Kempeleen Kiri 1-2s (8-2, 2-5, 1-4) This week’s featured game is a matchup between 2 teams hoping to improve on last year’s performance. Vimpeli have their sights squarely on a championship, after claiming bronze in 2020 against JoMa. Kempele are entering the next phase of the franchise model; a playoff spot. Kempele had some great positives in 2020, but still fell short of a top 8 finish. In the off-season, some key moves (including Antti Korhonen from Sotkamo) have boosted their prospects somewhat. As it stands going into this game, Vimpeli sit at he top of the table with Manse and KPL hot on their tails. Vimpeli have proven themselves this season so far with wins over Sotkamo and KPL, but some results haven’t quite gone their way (like the away game to Tahko at the beginning of the month). On the whole, Vimpeli are a formidable opponent, especially at the iconic Saarikenttä. Ke...

At the end of last week, the news came through that HP would have to self isolate due to a positive Covid result for one of their players. With the season heading towards a thrilling conclusion, who were the ones who rose to the top of our power rankings? 1st Sotkamon Jymy Sotkamo have had a few pedestrian weeks as far as the power rankings have been concerned, with little success against the top teams. Last week however they took maximum points against Tahko and IPV who have enjoyed some success so far this season. 2nd Vimpelin Veto Vimpeli’s wins over Hamina and IPV were not much of a surprise, but the crowning achievement of the week came with a 3 point win over KPL that ended their winning streak that spanned back to their 2nd game of the season. Vimpeli remain one of the strongest teams to beat, although they dropped a point against IPV and ultimately cost them top spot in the power rankings. 3rd Pattijoen Urheilijat, Raahe PattU managed to put together a string of great...

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 ...

  Haminan Palloilijat v Kiteen Pallo -90 0-2 (2-5, 7-18) This week’s featured game is a clash between two struggling sides. Hamina are desperate to avoid relegation at the end of the season and have recently parted ways with their game manager in an attempt to try something new. Kitee’s injury woes and poor performance is worlds apart from their 2020 run that saw them finish 5th in the table. Hamina came into this matchup without a win in the last 8 games, stretching back to 15th June. Kitee’s run has not been as bad, but compared to where they expected to be in the table this year, it has been disappointing; Kitee had only won a game in the last 5. Earlier in the season Hamina gave Kitee a scare taking the game to extra innings before KiPa managed take the victory.  With the table now based around points per game, Kitee are feeling the impact of their poor start to the season with more games played than any other team in the league. Kitee lie well outside the top 8 and ea...