The final regular season standings are posted.
The weekly recap is below.
In the opener, the Riddlers looked to chalk up another win and hold out hope for an Aces win later in the day to secure 3rd place - an Aces loss would drop them to 4th. The Riddlers lived up to the needed hype and routed Seymour Results 26-3 as they found their bats in time for the tournament. Seymour Results enters the tournament at the 9th seed.
On the north diamond at 1130a, the Marvels and Canniballs took to the field - the Canniballs already set in as the 10th seed for the playoffs, while the Marvels were looking to extend their recent hot streak as they won the past 4 games. In the end, the Canniballs were game, but ran into a hot team who appears to be jelling at the right time - as the Marvels won 11-2 and had to see how the Franchise faired in their double header to see where they finished for the year.
On the south diamond, the Skeleton Crew and the Franchise paired off and it was a defensive donnybrook to start as the Franchise held an early 1-0 lead after a few innings. Both teams bats came alive in the second half of the game as the long ball reared it's ugly (if you're pitching) head. In the end, the Crew managed to throw up a 5 spot in the 5th and then helped propel them to a 12-6 win, ending the Franchise's bid to claim their highest regular season finish at 6th. Instead, regardless of the outcome of their second game of the day, the Franchise will finish 8th overall.
The Skeleton Crew continued their strong defensive efforts in their next match up against the also-stingy Sexpos. Pushing runs across any way possible was the goal as both teams struggled to mount much of an offensive attack, coupled with great defense. The Sexpos, looking to win and keep their chances alive to overtake the Nads for 4th, came up a few runs shy as the Crew edged them 7-4. With the loss, the Sexpos finished the year at 10-8. The Skeleton Crew rebounded from their loss last weekend to win both on Sunday and finish the season atop the standings at 16-2 - setting a new FBL record for most wins in a single regular season (yes, this is also the first time they ever played more than 14 games). The Crew enter the playoffs as the top seed.
Up next on the North diamond paired the Dawgs and the Franchise - with a win, the Dawgs would leap frog the Sexpos for the 5th seed. Both teams played it tight and the Franchise were not willing to roll over and play dead knowing their seeding was fixed and managed to tie things up and force extra innings. Playing under International Softball rules, the Franchise managed to push the winning runs across the plate in the extra session, celebrating a 10-9 win and a final regular season record of 8-10. The Dawgs, with the loss, fell to 9-9 on the year and come into the post-season on a 5 game losing streak as the 6th seed.
The regular season finale brought with it possibilities, confusion and drama. With a win, the Nads would leapfrog both the Riddlers and the Aces to finish 2nd. With a loss, the Nads would be relegated to 4th. The game was hotly contested and both squads hit well, defended well and played smart, heads up ball. The result - a narrow 6-5 for the Aces as they finish up the year wining their past 4 games and sit alone in 2nd overall with a 13-5 record. The Nads, nearly matched their regular season ending hot streak from their championship playoff last year as they dropped their first game in 6 leaving them with an 11-7 record and 4th overall.
With the games in the books and the season schedule completed, the playoff divisions are set:
South Division
1 Skeleton Crew
4 Nads
6 Dawgs
8 The Franchise
9 Seymour Results
North Division
2 Aces
3 Riddlers
5 Sexpos
7 VC Marvels
10 Canniballs
The Managers meeting is Tuesday evening and the schedule will be released to the league and posted on the league site on Wednesday.
IMPORTANT REMINDER!
The Concession tent will be back this weekend - do not bring your own food/drink to the field. The sales from this weekend will determine the kind of banquet we can host, any inclusions, exclusions, etc. So, support your league! Bring you wallet and lots of cash!
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