Week 5: April 18-29
Featured game:
April 20: Westline BC (20-21) vs. Mighty Oaks BC (29-12) - Uriyoko Tselsiko (4-3, 4.53) vs. Siteno Aefep (4-2, 4.05)
Westline: SS Chirao, 1B Peshesonere, RF Mukuapi, 2B Rei, C Posheni, LF Pishot, 3B Futatse, CF Tsuefo, P Tselsiko
Mighty Oaks: 3B Kilutsa, LF Misha, RF Sefenera, 1B Awia, C Olufapo, CF Kylchi, 2B Rikokira, SS Mametsiu, P Aefep
...Westline 200 000 100 .. 3 11 0
Mighty Oaks 010 000 000 .. 1 .5 0
W: Uriyoko Tselsiko (5-3) L: Siteno Aefep (4-3) S: Maho Narupu (10)
PotG: Uriyoko Tselsiko - 8 innings, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 3 BB
In the absence of any obvious game of the week candidates, a dominant performance from the individual player who I am most tracking (see the February transactions report). Tselsiko allowed just one run on a homer by Metsifu Olufapo, and scattered his other baserunners. The Westline lineup, for their part, also did their scoring via the long ball, Nina Mukuapi in the first inning and Atel Chirao in the seventh.
April 18: on the first day of the new week, Kupore announced that
SP Moi Niloni is done for the season, having torn his rotator cuff in his last start. He will get most of the offseason fully healthy, but likely no chance of him making it back by mid-October.
Round 9:
....Sitache 2-3 Fampalo - 1-9, 5-3, 7-3, 4-5, 1-7
...Pasataki 2-3 Tsapna - 3-10, 2-3(13), 5-1, 3-4, 6-5
..Amnanache 2-3 Lutrul - 6-4, 5-6, 10-2, 3-4, 1-5
Otahel City 3-2 Kepmem - 4-5, 5-2, 4-2, 7-6, 3-6
...Mithazni 3-2 Kupore - 2-3, 5-1, 5-3, 13-5, 3-9
...Akashemo 4-1 Sh.Eagles - 2-5, 5-1, 8-1, 4-2, 8-4
...Westline 1-4 Mighty Oaks - 6-7(12), 3-1, 1-5, 0-4, 1-5
....Cheshek 2-3 Keleri - 2-6, 3-2, 3-15, 3-4, 2-1
..A.Spirits 2-3 Nokelto - 3-7, 6-5, 2-5, 6-5, 5-8
.....Hokrof 0-5 National - 4-12, 0-6, 0-4, 5-6, 1-3
Nokelto Scouts 5, Aroketsil Spirits 2: I mentioned a few more of these were coming –
Nokelto catcher Taliha Popa hit his 400th Elite League home run in this win. Lara Tsimelefo added two homers of his own, having just hit the same milestone a couple of weeks ago.
Round 10:
.....Keleri 2-3 Amnanache - 5-1, 2-7, 5-2, 1-4, 7-8(10)
.....Kepmem 4-1 Mithazni - 11-8, 11-2, 5-2, 3-4, 8-5
Mighty Oaks 2-3 Cheshek - 1-2, 5-4, 5-3, 2-4, 2-3(11)
..Sh.Eagles 1-4 A.Spirits - 1-3, 3-9, 2-7, 9-3, 3-6
....Fampalo 3-2 Pasataki - 6-4(11), 1-3, 6-3, 7-1, 1-16
.....Lutrul 2-3 Hokrof - 6-1, 4-6, 4-2, 0-4, 5-11
....Nokelto 3-2 Otahel City - 7-5, 11-5, 6-5, 3-7, 0-7
.....Kupore 2-3 Westline - 2-4, 6-8, 5-2, 4-0, 1-2(10)
.....Tsapna 3-2 Sitache - 5-2(10), 5-6, 5-3(10), 10-8, 3-8
...National 3-2 Akashemo - 4-0, 2-3, 10-1, 6-8, 3-2
Amnanache 7, Keleri 2: A sprained knee will cost
Keleri CF Rarehimi Pohyfe until the middle of June. The 30-year-old is coming off a career year, hitting a career-best 27 EL homers and winning his first Gold Glove.
Keleri 5, Amnanache 2: If that was bad, this is worse for the green and gray.
Keleri SP Sleta Chulosaleta left tonight's game in the 5th inning, with what turned out to be a partial UCL tear. He is choosing not to have Tommy John surgery but will still miss the remainder of the season.
Otahel City 7, Nokelto Scouts 3: And if that was worse, this is the pits.
Otahel ace SP Pika Sopota completely blew out his elbow on a pitch to Scouts SS Myna Mote, so badly that his career has come to an end. Sopota, 22, was in his 7th professional season and second season in Otahel, following stints with the Killitash Stars (2L, SPL) and Fampalo. A native of Penhara, signing with Otahel City was his chance to get EL innings close-ish to his hometown. Funnily, he threw no-hitters in both 2020 and 2021, with different teams, and in different leagues, but against the same opponent! He no-hit Wikyats Athletic with Fampalo, then after Wikyats were relegated, he no-hit them in the 2L last year with Otahel. Let's hope he becomes a coach someday.
As for his club, the loss really stings. Sopota was, nominally, the Otahel ace, and pitching was supposed to be their stronger side of the ball. Long reliever Lala Awia has been promoted to the rotation - he's only allowed 1 run in 18 2/3 innings this season across 14 appearances, so a pretty good record in his first year of EL play. He'll make his first start in game 4 of the next series vs. Lutrul.
Standings..........W..L
+1 
Mighty Oaks 34 16
-1 
....Cheshek 34 16
-- 
.....Keleri 30 20
+2 
...National 30 20
-- 
.....Tsapna 28 22
+1 
.....Kepmem 28 22
-3 
...Pasataki 27 23
+2 
....Fampalo 26 24
+4 
...Akashemo 25 25
+4 
..A.Spirits 24 26
-3 
...Westline 24 26
-- 
..Amnanache 24 26
-2 
....Sitache 23 27
-5 
..Sh.Eagles 22 28
-- 
Otahel City 22 28
-- 
.....Lutrul 21 29
-- 
.....Kupore 20 30
-----------------------------
-- 
...Mithazni 20 30
+1 
....Nokelto 20 30
-1 
.....Hokrof 18 32
Overall across the league, the story of Week 5 was devastating injuries. But, Cheshek have to feel pretty good about their week, holding level with a 5-5 week against the league's two most prestigious teams (in my opinion).
Statistically, I find it interesting that of the only 3 sweeps recorded thus far through 10 rounds of play, none were done by the two teams with a 4-game cushion atop the league. Instead, Keleri has one over Nokelto, and National has now swept both Otahel and Hokrof.
Here's the week 6 lineup - I'm looking out for the Spirits this week, who have rebounded a little from their poor start and sit in 10th place. Can they keep it up against National and Tsapna?
Round 11:
Akashemo vs. Keleri
Mithazni vs. Mighty Oaks
Pasataki Galaxy vs. Nokelto Scouts
Cheshek vs. Shunna Eagles
Sitache vs. Kepmem
Amnanache vs. Kupore
Otahel City vs. Lutrul
Aroketsil Spirits vs. National
Hokrof vs. Fampalo
Westline vs. Tsapna
Round 12:
Shunna Eagles vs. Mithazni
Lutrul vs. Akashemo
Mighty Oaks vs. Pasataki Galaxy
Fampalo vs. Otahel City
Kupore vs. Hokrof
Kepmem vs. Amnanache
Nokelto Scouts vs. Cheshek
National vs. Sitache
Keleri vs. Westline
Tsapna vs. Aroketsil Spirits
We are past the quarter pole of the season, so next post will be a stats + lower leagues update!