BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, BCAC, and CYL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
11 September 2310
Championship Series
#6 Starlight Killers (74-56) vs #1 Nordhagen Beach Party Boys (88-42)
Season Series
Starlight 3, Nordhagen Beach 1
April 21-22 @NB: Star 7-5 (13), NB 2-1
July 2-3 @Star: Star 9-2, Star 9-7
Analysis
For the second time in their history, the Starlight Killers have reached the NCA Championship Series. Now in their eighth playoff appearance, the Killers had won a series once ever in the playoffs. That was in 2308 when the Killers beat Nordhagen Beach and then upset #1 Salem before falling in the NCACS to Bunker Hill.
The Party Boys are so used to getting here that it has become an expectation. This will mark the Boys' ninth appearance in the NCACS. They are 5-3 entering this season in that series including last season when they swept the 75ers on their way to their third championship.
For this matchup, it will mark only the third time they meet in the regular season and latest they have met. Each team has won a series.
Playoff History:
2306 Play-in Round: #5 Nordhagen Beach 2, #4 Starlight 0
2308 Play-in Round: #5 Starlight 2, #4 Nordhagen Beach 0
In the regular season, Starlight owned the series 3-1, including pounding the Boys' pitching for nine runs in two games in their last meeting in early July. Looking at the matchups, the Killers are one of the few teams that has a lineup that can regularly score on the Nordhagen Beach pitching. Still, the Party Boys have the better overall team, besting Starlight in runs scored (755 vs 625) and runs allowed (499 vs 526). There is no doubt that the Boys are the team to beat.
Prediction
Defending champions, playing a veteran team but not one used to being this successful in the playoffs, fully healthy, dominating in the Semifinal Round. Yeah, we're going to pick Nordhagen Beach to push its full influence on Starlight in this one. We would like to see an exciting, close series, but we do not expect it. Party Boys 4, Killers 1
#4 Oberland T-51s (78-52) vs #2 Quincy Gunners (77-53)
Season Series
Oberland 3, Quincy 1
April 21-21 @Obe: Obe 3-2 (12), Ober 2-1
July 2-3 @Quin: Obe 9-1, Quin 9-5
Analysis
Neither Oberland nor Quincy has been regulars to the playoffs, so this season will mark only the second time in the full CBO they have both been in the playoffs the same season. The first season was 2309 when neither the #1 T-51s nor the #3 Gunners made it to the SCA Championship Series.
Oberland has had more overall success than the Gunners. The T-51s won the Sole Survivor Series in the last season of the separated leagues when they defeated Nordhagen Beach. They also lost to Bunker Hill in the 2308 Sole Survivor Series. This season marks the T-51s' third SCACS, where they are 1-1 entering this season. They lost the 2298 SCACS to Goodneighbor, 3-2.
For Quincy, this marks just their third playoff appearance. In their first two appearances, they lost their first series. Therefore, the Gunners' 3-2 series victory over Vault 81 in the Semifinal Round marks their first official playoff series win.
Playoff History: none
We mentioned already that Oberland was not a team to sleep on despite finishing 3rd in the powerful Railroad League. The T-51s showed that by getting by a very good Roxbury team in the Semifinal Round. During the regular season, Oberland also won the season series over Quincy, 3-1. In what is eerily similar to the Nordhagen Beach vs Starlight series, the T-51s showed they could score at will on the Gunners. Oberland finished behind the Gunners in runs scored (667 vs 686) but bested them in runs allowed (532 vs 592).
Prediction
Quincy has home-field advantage but they have a hell of a gauntlet to get through having to play Vault 81 and Oberland back-to-back. While the Gunners won the Minutemen League, we do not see them winning the South Charles Association. We have a feeling the T-51s pitching will hold down Quincy. T-51s 4, Gunners 2