Weekly Wrap-Ups

Week 5 and 6 Recap

Hellcats Clinch B Division Title

With two victories on Sunday, the Hellcats improved their record to 9-1 and clinched the regular season title in the B Division and an automatic berth to the GSWS in Chicago. The Hellcats jumped out to a big early lead against the Bomb Squad (3-7) and then had to rally in their last at bat to beat the Hellraisers (4-7) to clinch the division. The Hellraisers and Bomb Squad split their two games on Sunday against each other. The Hellraisers maintain a slim half-game lead over the Bomb Squad, and these two teams have two games remaining against each other in the final three weeks of play.

Toros Widen Division Lead

The Toros (12-2) entered Week 5 with a slim half- game lead over the Twisters (10-3); however, their 5-0 record over the last two weeks helped them widened their division lead to a game and a half over the Twisters. The Toros and Twisters played each other on Sunday with the division title on the line. The Toros held off a late Twisters’ rally to win 10-7 and maintain their division lead. This was the Twisters only loss in their last five games, and they remain in second place.

The Wild (7-4) and Dragons (8-5) are both 3.5 games back of the Toros but the Wild hold a slim percentage point lead over the Dragons heading into Week 7. These two teams played during Week 6 with the Dragons coming away with an 11-2 win. The Wild can make up some games on the leaders with two games during Week 7 against the Bam Bams (5-6). These two teams are the only teams playing C Division games during Week 7 because the rest of the teams are traveling to Austin to participate in the Texas Shootout Tournament.

The Xtremes(3-11) had a successful last two weeks by doubling their win total for the entire season with two victories over the Knights (5-9) and Scorpionz (2-12).
During Weeks 5-6, the Toros (5 wins), Twisters (4 wins), Dragons (3 wins), Xtremes (2 wins), Wild (1 win), Bam Bams (1 win), and Knights (1 win) all won games during this two week span.

Divers Keep Pace With Sons of Pitches

The Sons of Pitches (14-0) and Divers (12-1) are on a collision course with their Week 8 match up. Each team went undefeated during Weeks 5-6. The Wave (11-2) remain in striking distance of the division leaders by going 5-0 over the last two weeks, and they too have a Week 8 game against the Sons of Pitches.

The Vipers (8-3) are currently in fourth place followed by the Surfers (9-5) and Vamps (9-5) . The fast rising Surfers went 4-1 over the last two weeks and have dropped only two games since starting their inaugural season with three losses.

There is a three-way tie for seventh place as the Falcons, Rage, and Warriors finished Week 6 with an 8-6 record. Bud Light and Toros D are close behind with matching 7-7 records. The Toros D finished the last two weeks with a 4-1 record – second most wins in the D Division during that span.

During Weeks 5-6, the following teams won at least one game: Wave (5), Sons of Pitches (4), Surfers (4), Toros D (4), Divers (3), Rage (3), Falcons (2), Predators (3), Incredibles (2), Splash (2), Warriors (2), Vipers (1), Vamps (1), Candela Saints (1), Bering (1), Junior Bomb Squad (1), Swallows (1), and Herricanes (1).

There will be a light schedule during Week 7 because the majority of the MSL teams traveling to Austin.

One Their Was One: Sons of Pitches Remain Undefeated

As the 2011 MSL Season rolls into the midway point, the division races in the C and D Divisions remain close. It appears these races will remain close throughout the season with the eventual champion being crowned the final weekend of the season.

In the A and B Divisions, the Houston Force (6-1) swept their two games against the Hellraisers (3-5)and Bomb Squad (2-5) and avenged last weekend’s loss to the Hellraisers. Despite dropping a game to the Bomb Squad, the Hellcats (7-1) widened their division lead with two victories over the Hellraisers on Sunday. The Bomb Squad won their only division game, and they now have a win against each of their division rivals. Only a half game separates the Hellraisers and Bomb Squad as they head into the second half of the season.

There are no A/B Division games in Week 5 as the Bomb Squad and Hellcats travel to Phoenix to participate in the Saguaro Cup.

The Toros (7-2), the defending regular season champions, were tested again on Sunday. Like champions, they pulled out two one-run victories. In their first game, the Toros were pushed to the limit by the surging Bam Bams (4-5) and eventually won in extra innings. The Toros and Wild (6-3) squared off with the division lead on the line. The Toros raced to an early lead and had to hold off a furious Wild rally.

The Twisters (6-2) quietly won both of their games against the Scorpionz (2-7) and Xtremes (1-8), and they remain a half-game behind the Toros. The Dragons (5-3) stayed within striking distance of the division leaders but lost a heartbreaker 16-15 to the Knights (4-5). In their first game, the Knights fell to the Bam Bams, and the two teams end the day with identical records.

In Week 5, C Division leaders will clash, including the Dragons playing the two teams atop of the standings, Toros and Twisters. Also, the Bam Bams and Wild will not be playing as they too will be traveling to Phoenix.

Like the C Division, the D Division race is neck-in-neck as only two games separate the top five teams. A mix of old and new names sit atop the division. The Sons of Pitches (9-0) won both their games and now are the only undefeated team in the MSL. While it is no surprise to find the Sons of Pitches in first, the next two teams in the standings may come as a bit of a surprise because they are relatively new teams to the league. The newly formed Vamps (8-1) and the second-year Divers (8-1) both won all three games they played on Sunday and now trail the Sons of Pitches by a single game.

The Vipers (7-2) rebounded from their two losses last weekend to win three games on Sunday and now find themselves two game out of first place. They won a pivotal game against the Candela Saints (7-2) on Sunday.

The Falcons (6-3) won both of their games to vault themselves into the top third of the division standings. Also, the Surfers (5-4)won their three games and are a hot team that nobody wants to face now.

The biggest shocker in the D Division was the last-place Splash (2-6) upsetting the Wave (6-2). The Wave entered the weekend undefeated but dropped both their games.

Teams that also won games on Sunday include Bud Light (6-4), Warriors (6-4), Rage (5-5), Bering (2-6), and Junior Bomb Squad (2-7).

Week 3: Three Undefeated Teams Left

Week 3 marked another eventful weekend in MSL action. The division races are slowly starting to shape up with one-third of the season completed.

In the B Division, the Hellcats went 2-0 against their division rivals Hellraisers (3-3) and Bomb Squad (1-5). The two victories lift the Hellcats to a 5-0 record as they remain in first place. However, the Hellcats did lose their second game of the season to the Force (4-1) on a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the seventh (losses to an A Division team does not count as losses for B Division teams). After dropping their first game of the day, the Hellraisers won their next two games with a close victory over the Bomb Squad and then an upset win over the Force. This was the first loss of the season for the Force. The Hellraisers remain in second place followed by the Bomb Squad.

Before the season started, the consensus was that the C Division was the division with the most parity. After three weeks of play, ever team in the division has at least two losses. Like last season, the Bam Bams (3-4) started the season slowly and found themselves in a 0-4 hole after two weeks of play. LIke like season, they regrouped and rallied in Week 3 to win all three games. The Wild (5-2) also won all three games this weekend and catapulted themselves into a first-place tie with the Toros (5-2). The Wild won a tough 5-2 game over the Toros to create the two-way tie for first place. The Dragons (4-2) and Twisters (4-2) both finished the weekend 1-1 and find themselves just a half game out of first place. The Scorpionz (2-3) were also victorious this weekend with a win over the Knights (3-4).

Week 4 looks like another barn-burner weekend in the C Division as the Toros face the Wild (again) and upstart Bam Bams. Also, the Twisters and Dragons try to keep pace with the division leaders with two games apiece.

After two weeks of play, every D Division team won at least one game. After three weeks, there are only two teams that have won every game that they have played. The Sons of Pitches (7-0) continued their strong play with two wins this weekend. SOP won a close game against the previously undefeated Candela Saints (5-1) 14-2. The Wave (6-0) are also undefeated as they knocked off their division rival Vipers (4-2) in a match-up of D Division heavyweights.

Bud Light (5-2) and Warriors (5-3) each won all three of their games on Sunday to move up in the standings. The Divers (5-1), Falcons (4-3), and Rage (4-3) also went undefeated this weekend and find themselves in the upper half of the D Division standings.

Other D Division teams that were victorious this weekend include Candela Saints, Vamps (5-1), Toros D (3-4), Incredibles (2-3-1), and Surfers 2-4).

After three weeks of play, SOP and Wave sit atop of the D Division standings and there is a three-way tie for third place (Candela Saints, Divers, and Vamps). Can anyone catch these two teams or are they on a collision course for a late-season showdown?

Week 1: Force(ful) Showing On Opening Day

A/B Divisions

The Force made a statement on Opening Day by scoring 35 runs in their two victories over their B Division opponents, the Hellcats and Hellraisers. They displayed their team speed, power, and defense on Sunday, and demonstrated why they will be a team to reckon with on the national scene. The Bomb Squad made their B Division debut and showed that they can hit with the big boys. Despite scoring 27 runs in two games, they dropped both their games to the Hellcats and Hellraisers.

After one week of play, the two returning B Division teams stand atop of the B Division with 1-0 records. One team will be looking for a little separation atop of the standings as the B Division teams play each other in Week 2.

C Division

The C Division shrank from 11 to 8 teams this year, and this only means that the competition will be even more fierce in this already ultra-competitive division. Only two teams came away unscathed and undefeated after one week of play. Tthe Dragons and Knights used timely hitting and a strong defense to start the season with a 2-0 record. The Dragons dispatched of Xtremes in their first game, and then defeated the defending division champions Toros 9-7 in a tightly contested game. The Knights amassed 30 runs in their two victories over the newly formed Scorpionz and Twisters.

Later in the day, the Scorpionz regrouped and gained the team’s first victory by holding off a late rally by the Wild, 15-14. The Wild are the returning two-time post-season champions in the C Division. Like the Scorpionz, the Wild, Toros, and Twisters finished the day 1-1. The Bam Bams and Xtremes finished Opening Day with 0-2 record.

The big question for Week 2 is if the Dragons and Knights can continue their hot start and remain undefeated?

D Division

Even with 20 teams in the D Division, the Sons of Pitches are still the team that everyone is chasing for a second year in a row. The defending champions scored 52 runs in their first two games and finished the day 2-0. After one week of play, they have plenty of company atop the standings. The newly formed Vamps finished the day 2-0, as did the Candela Saints, Vipers, Warriors, and Wave.

Junior Bomb Squad won their first game as a team and finished the day 1-1. Other teams that split their games on Sunday include Bud Light, Divers, Falcons, Incredibles, Predators, Rage, and Toros D.

Bering, Herricanes, Screamers, Surfers, Splash, and Swallows all hope to turn their fortunes around and gain their first victory of the season in Week 2.

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