Week 14: August 4-15, 2024
Round 27
.......Muni 2-3 Mighty Oaks - 6-7, 3-5, 3-1, 7-6(11), 2-6
.....Kupore 2-3 Hokrof - 7-5, 6-7, 3-1, 1-2, 4-7
...Akashemo 2-3 Sh.Eagles - 1-11, 2-4, 0-3, 8-7(10), 13-3
.....Semyof 0-5 Westline - 3-4, 2-3, 4-8, 3-4, 0-3
......Nokir 2-3 BK Kepmem - 7-5, 4-2, 1-5, 0-6, 3-9
....Sitache 1-4 Keleri - 0-4, 5-6(10), 6-12, 2-1, 4-7
....Cheshek 2-3 Lutrul - 4-2, 6-7(11), 6-12, 4-7, 8-1
.......Meka 2-3 Mithazni - 0-6, 1-2, 2-5, 12-4, 10-6
.....Tsapna 2-3 National - 10-8, 6-7, 2-5, 11-4, 3-7
..Amnanache 2-3 Pasataki - 0-10, 3-4(11), 8-5, 2-5, 5-2
Interesting - this may have happened in the last few years of Lokasi baseball, but I can't immediately remember a round in which all ten series were won by the home teams. This was certainly helped by the fact that all of the top 7 teams were playing at home in this round, and the 8th-place team was visiting the league leaders, but you'd still generally expect one of them to muck it up a little bit.
Westline 3, Semyof 0: Westline's
Tula Mitonone matches the most strikeouts in a game this year by punching out 14 Semyof batters while allowing just one hit over 7 1/3 innings. One of the more dominant performances in the league this year - tied for the third-best game score recorded on the season at 88. The top score of the season, for those scoring at home, belongs to Tsarase Roshoshe's shutout of Pasataki on July 8th (90).
There hasn't been a 15-strikeout game in the Elite League since Akashemo's Lumekatse Merefife did so against Cheshek in the penultimate game of the 2021 season (nearly three years). The all time record is the same as in MLB, 20 strikeouts, though it has been done just once. That was by the Eagles' Oaku Leme in his no-hitter against Yusut United on August 18, 1997 - probably the EL's greatest individual game ever pitched. (I'm not sure - would you rather throw a 20-K no-hitter with one walk, or a 16-K perfect game?)
Meka 10, Mithazni 6: Meka 1B/3B
Soralone Popa, not a regular starter, had three home runs and 4 RBI to provide the winning margin in the series finale at Mithazni. Popa came up to the EL with Meka, having played with 4 different teams in the Second League before ever making his EL debut. He was the regular starter at first last season before being moved to a bench role with the arrival of Tisiri Fefae.
Round 28
..BK Kepmem 3-2 Muni - 1-12, 4-0, 10-4, 6-0, 2-9
Mighty Oaks 2-3 Sh.Eagles - 2-5, 2-7, 2-1, 6-4, 3-4(10)
.....Keleri 5-0 Lutrul - 11-5, 4-0, 6-2, 6-4, 10-2
...Mithazni 3-2 Pasataki - 4-1, 6-3(10), 5-2, 3-15, 3-6
...National 3-2 Hokrof - 1-3, 6-4, 7-1, 5-1, 2-7
....Sitache 3-2 Akashemo - 0-6, 7-2, 6-3, 5-2, 2-6
......Nokir 2-3 Kupore - 7-12, 2-6, 3-1, 3-6, 3-1
.....Semyof 5-0 Amnanache - 3-1, 7-2, 4-0(11), 9-6, 3-2
.......Meka 3-2 Westline - 10-5, 8-1, 2-3, 2-3, 10-7
.....Tsapna 1-4 Cheshek - 2-6, 3-5, 2-5, 2-1, 8-9
I suppose, with most teams alternating home and away, it makes sense that this round would be the reverse of the previous one, with 7 of 10 series won by the away teams, including the league's top two teams (at the time) both dropping series at home.
Westline 3, Meka 2 (the first one): As far as bench-clearings go, this one was pretty star-studded, with Westline 1B
Peku Karwo engaging with Meka's first-year ace
Fekiu Wefo in the 6th inning. The hit-by-pitch followed a game-tying two-run homer by Saryesi Sifoku, but was on an 0-2 pitch - it'd be surprising for that to be intentional. But, with an emotional 16-year-old on the bump, and one of the league's best hitters at the plate, I guess I can't rule anything out.
Akashemo United 6, Sitache 2: With Sitache already in a pretty bad spot, this won't help. Star SS
Wasi Tsewayo will miss the next 3-4 weeks with a strained ribcage area. He will likely only be able to return for the last 1-2 weeks of Sitache's relegation fight - which might be over by then. Tsewayo's injury came while straining to beat out an infield hit with one out, which he did successfully to load the bases. Unfortunately, Fumiecho Sahiu followed him by hitting into a tailor-made double play.
Standings..........W..L
-- 
....Westline.. 89 51
+1 
....National.. 84 56
-1 
....P.Galaxy.. 83 57
-- 
.Mighty Oaks.. 82 58
+3 
......Keleri.. 79 61
-1 
......Lutrul.. 77 63
-- 
......Kepmem.. 76 64
-2 
......Semyof.. 76 64
-- 
........Meka.. 74 66
+1 
.......Nokir.. 70 70
-1 
...Amnanache.. 69 71
-- 
........Muni.. 69 71
-- 
......Tsapna.. 67 73
-- 
......Kupore.. 67 73
+1 
.....Cheshek.. 61 78
+1 
...Sh.Eagles.. 61 79
-2 
Akashemo Utd.. 60 80
-----------------------------
-- 
....Mithazni.. 55 84
-- 
.....Sitache.. 52 88
-- 
......Hokrof.. 48 92
With 5 weeks to go, Westline's leaad has grown to 5 games. They were the clear favorites this season, and though things haven't gone as well as the preseason predictions might have anticipated (they would need to finish 43-7 to match it), they are still in the driver's seat to claim their first EL title in a quarter century.
Week 15 will consist of these matchups:
Round 29:
Cheshek vs. BK Kepmem
Shunna Municipal vs. Mithazni
Pasataki Galaxy vs. Nokir
Akashemo United vs. Keleri
Lutrul vs. Semyof
Amnanache vs. Meka
Shunna Eagles vs. National
Hokrof vs. Mighty Oaks
Westline vs. Tsapna
Kupore vs. Sitache
Round 30:
Nokir vs. Westline
BK Kepmem vs. Pasataki Galaxy
Meka vs. Kupore
Tsapna vs. Shunna Eagles
Mighty Oaks vs. Lutrul
Sitache vs. Shunna Municipal
Mithazni vs. Hokrof
Keleri vs. Amnanache
Semyof vs. Cheshek
National vs. Akashemo United
Shunna derby with Eagles/National is the headliner of round 29, although Lutrul/Semyof is quite an interesting Ransu matchup as well. In round 30, I'll be paying attention to Kepmem/Pasataki and Oaks/Lutrul.