Superpesis roundup

SiiPe couldn’t break open Roihu’s much improved defense and struggled to create scoring opportunities Roihuttaret, Helsinki v Siilinjärven Pesis 2-0 (2-1, 2-1) On Sunday it was time to venture back out to the east end of Helsinki for another regular season game in women’s Superpesis. This game was between Roihuttaret and Siilinjärven Pesis. Much like the last matchup against MyVe, this was an important game for both teams, who are looking to stay up in Superpesis next season. After Roihu’s win over MyVe on Friday, they were in 10th place going into this game, with a 6 point lead over 12th place SiiPe.  The last time these two teams met, Roihu won the game in a supervuoro after winning the first jakso, only to fade in the second. For SiiPe, this was a “must win” game, with games against Seinäjoen Maila-Jussit and Kirittaret looking likely to be flat out losses. SiiPe’s last point came against Pori 4 days previously, so SiiPe were not to be underestimated (especially if errors s...

Tahko are one of the teams who could finish in the top 8, but their final position hangs in the balance There are only a handful of games left in the season and for some, time is running out to achieve their goals. In this post I look at the table and which teams are on track to reach the spot in the table that they are hoping for. The table below shows the teams games that they have played, how many games they have remaining, their average points per game and the maximum  and minimum possible points per game scores they can achieve. Top 4 For some time the top 4 teams have set themselves apart from the others; Manse, KPL, Sotkamo and Vimpeli have in fact already secured a top 4 finish and therefore home field advantage in the postseason. Only 3 of them however will get a chance to pick their first round opponents. There is one obvious team that the top 4 teams will want to avoid - Joensuu. JoMa have caused problems for the top 4 this season, but they cannot finish higher than...

Roihu had some great success at bat, but some errors in the outfield cost them a shot at 3 points Roihuttaret, Helsinki v Mynämäen Vesa   1-0 (12-1, 6-6) On Friday I took a short trip to the other side of Helsinki to catch my first regular season game in women’s Superpesis between Roihuttaret and Mynämäen Vesa. The matchup was an important game for both teams, as they both looked to score points to secure their place in Superpesis next year. Roihu came into the game with a 2 point lead in the standings, so a win here would have significantly improved their hopes of staying in Superpesis next season. The last time these 2 teams met was on 9th June, where Roihu dominated and won 0-2 (0-3, 0-4).  Both teams were in a rough patch coming into this game, with only one win each out of their last 5 games. Roihu have scored more runs than MyVe going into this game as well as conceding fewer than MyVe. More than a third of Roihu’s runs have come from the bat of power hitter (and It...

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...