African Baseball Union

[as5680]

SPRING TRAINING UPDATE
20 February 2021

We are now one third of the way through the African Baseball Union's inaugural pre-season schedule, with every team having played ten of their thirty games. It is among the Sahara Division that the greatest differences have been seen, with Casablanca and pre-season favourites Tripoli leading the way having won eight of their ten games. In the same division, Cairo are the only team to have lost eight times. Widely backed Khartoum haven't fared well with only three wins, while Southern Conference favourites Antananarivo have an even five wins and five losses. Of course, these games won't count for anything once the regular season begins but more is expected of Khartoum in particular than we have seen so far.

Highlights of the first ten days of play have included Lusaka's recovery from an early 6-0 deficit to beat Dar es Salaam 12-6, and a remarkable game between Addis Ababa and Harare where the Highlanders headed into the eleventh inning tied at 3-3 and managed to score thirteen runs to take the win 16-3. There have, as expected, been plenty of runs scored and plenty of home runs as well, but it hasn't all been about scoring. Twenty-six games, almost one in eight, have seen a shutout recorded while special mention must be given to the three Kigali pitchers who combined to record a no-hitter in a 7-0 win against Johannesburg.

The star with the bat has been Casablanca's left fielder Mehdi Filali, who leads the way in home runs with seven and RBIs with 13. Widely regarded veteran pitcher Aboubacar Maïga of Bamako leads the strikeout list with 15, while Kinshasa closer Yves Botende has ten from just five innings pitched, the best ratio in the league.

Unfortunately, some players have seen their pre-season come to an early end with injury and a few of those will certainly miss at least the beginning of the regular season. The unluckiest man in the league though must be Algiers pitcher Kaïs El Haddad, who suffered an elbow injury in just his second appearance and was later diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon, ruling him out of the whole of this season and probably the beginning of next season as well.

STANDINGS:

[as5680]

SPRING TRAINING UPDATE
3 March 2021

Two thirds of the way through Spring Training, it is the leading teams of the Sahara Division who look much the strongest in the league as the four best records all belong to clubs in that section. With fifteen wins and only five losses, Tripoli hold the best record of all but Algiers, Marrakech and Casablanca are only one game worse off. Khartoum are still failing to live up to their pre-season billing but have improved a little, splitting their last ten games 5-5. On the other side of the Northern Conference, in the Western Division, only Accra have a winning record at 12-8, with victory today bringing Abidjan up to .500 in second place. Ouagadougou, sitting last in that division at 6-14, have the worst record in the league.

Things are more closely matched in the Southern Conference, with only four games between all sixteen clubs. It is Southern Division rivals Lusaka and Johannesburg who have the best records with twelve wins and eight defeats each, but every other club in their division is within a couple of games as nobody has a losing record. Indeed, Maputo, Cape Town and pre-season favourites Antananarivo share last place at 10-10 having all lost today - the division had every team on a winning record before play began this afternoon. In the Central Division, only Addis Ababa and Kigali hold winning records, while five of their eight clubs are on losing marks and Kinshasa's 7-13 record makes them the worst in the Southern Conference so far and just one game better than Ouagadougou.

As far as individual performances go, Mehdi Filali of Casablanca had led the way in home runs and RBIs after ten games but recorded none of either in 24 at-bats in the next ten. Several players have caught him on seven home runs and one, Abdullahi Isiaka of Kano, has moved past on to eight. The RBI leader is now Accra's Seth Bentil, whose total of 20 puts him three ahead of anyone else in the league. Among players with enough plate appearances to qualify, the batting average leader is Alexandria's Malian second baseman Lobi Abdulai, who sits on a .357 mark, ten points clear of Amir Kecita of Tripoli.

The only pitcher to be credited with four wins is Marrakech's ace Sofiène Benzakour, while his team-mate Walid El-Sayed has eight saves, the most of any reliever. Benzakour also leads the way in strikeouts with 26, although he shares first place in that category with Antananarivo's Jeremia Ramarolahy.

STANDINGS:

[Eugene Church]

Very nice, well-thought out concept, as5680... very well done so far.

Very good graphics... done simply, which means they will show up well on the OOTP screens.

A very colorful dynasty... look forward to following it.

[as5680]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

Very nice, well-thought out concept, as5680... very well done so far.

Very good graphics... done simply, which means they will show up well on the OOTP screens.

A very colorful dynasty... look forward to following it.

Thanks - glad you're enjoying it.

[as5680]

END OF SPRING TRAINING
14 March 2021

The African Baseball Union's inaugural pre-season is now over, with the Marrakech Reds finishing with the best record at 21-9, the only team to avoid reaching double figures in defeats. Their success was grounded in strong pitching, with Sofiène Benzakour easily the most impressive starting pitcher despite a poorer outing in his final start. He ended with 35 strikeouts, the highest figure of any pitcher, one ahead of Cape Town's Siviwe Shimange. Closer Walid El-Sayed recorded ten saves, jointly the highest in the league, and did not allow an earned run in the 15.2 innings that he pitched. The only man to match that in more innings was Mintou Kanté of Maputo, who pitched two more innings with an ERA of 0.00.

The Reds' Sahara Division rivals Tripoli had the next best record and were the only other team to reach 20 wins, while Lusaka were the best in the Southern Conference at 19-11. Every team won at least ten games, with the Ouagadougou Stallions winning three of their last four to reach that figure. That meant that Cairo had to share the dubious honour of having the worst record with the Stallions, after losing five of their last six. The highly rated Khartoum Crocodiles were only one game better and will be hoping that their pre-season performances are not an indicator of what is to come. Also underachieving were Southern Conference favourites Antananarivo, whose biggest concern was the groin injury suffered by star player Jessy Rabenandrasana, which looks set to rule him out of the first month of the season at least.

Top performers with the bat included Tripoli's Amir Kecita, who had easily the best batting average among regular starters at .395, nearly 40 points better than the next best figure posted by Durban's Matshego Molusi. Seth Bentil of Accra and Anthony Mutapa of Lusaka led the way with ten home runs each, while Mutapa finished one ahead of Bentil in the RBI count with 27 to 26, as Bentil's form dropped over the closing games. With all 480 pre-season games now in the books, focus turns to Brazzaville on Thursday evening and the first ever regular season game, with the home town Mambas facing the Kinshasa Leopards, their rivals from just 12 miles away across the Congo river. The other thirty teams must wait one more day to get their seasons underway, with their opening games on Friday evening.

STANDINGS:

[as5680]

OPENING DAY
18 March 2021

The first season of the African Baseball Union finally got underway tonight with the opening regular season game between the Brazzaville Mambas and the Kinshasa Leopards.

As part of the celebrations, the first amateur draft pool was also announced before the game. With every team being obliged to select players from their own country in the first six rounds, there will be keen interest in which of the South African clubs gets to select first as centre fielder Toni Khumalo is one of the highest rated prospects in the pool. Nairobi will be pleased that they will have the opportunity to take closer Samuel Opondo before anyone else gets a chance, while the first pick in the open seventh round will be keenly sought as it will bring the chance to take Aruban pitcher JR Hals, only 18 years old but possibly the most sought after player of all. Uniquely, the draft order will only be set days before the draft itself this year, as it will be based on the clubs' records at the start of the All-Star break. In future years, it will be based on the previous season's record and so will be known long in advance.

With each team having set their 25-man rosters, another 52 baseball cards have been produced for this year's collection, including players who had not been expected to be on the roster but who have made it due to injuries to other players during Spring Training. Experts have also made their final predictions as to what might happen this season, and the performances of the two clubs during pre-season have strengthened in the minds of many the belief that Tripoli will get the better of Khartoum in the Sahara Division, although both are still widely expected to reach the play-offs. Marrakech, holders of the best record in pre-season, are still not widely backed although star pitcher Sofiène Benzakour may still be the best in the league. Lagos and Accra have taken over from Abidjan as the favourites in the Western Division, which may be the closest race of all. In the Southern Conference, Addis Ababa are still widely backed in the Central Division, while Antananarivo are expected to have the best record in the conference but their prospects have been damaged by the injury suffered by Jessy Rabenandrasana in Spring Training. They will be hoping that the projections of a return before the end of April are accurate and that there are no setbacks in his recovery.

As for the opening game itself, Brazzaville had to deal with an injury problem as expected opening day starter Andre Kwizera is unavailable due to an elbow injury, with the club uncertain when he will be fit to pitch. Projected second starter Charles Malonga was instead the man to open the season on the mound while Kinshasa had their ace Adaon Mavinga pitching, perhaps giving the first advantage to the visiting team. With Brazzaville widely expected to struggle this season, Kinshasa went into the game as favourites despite their own expectations being lowered by a poor pre-season. They were given a 62% chance of winning the opening game, compared to Brazzaville's 38%.



At 7pm local time, with rain threatening the proceedings, the action got underway before a near-capacity crowd of 53,453. Charles Malonga threw the first pitch in league history to Kinshasa second baseman René Kabamba, and promptly issued a four-pitch walk to begin the season. He settled quickly after that however, retiring the next three to end the top of the first. Opposite number Adaon Mavinga was even more impressive in the bottom half of the inning, beginning his year with a one-two-three inning. The first hit in league history came with two out in the top of the second, as Kinshasa's Seychelles-born left fielder Tommy Albert drove a double down the left field line, but Malonga was able to get out of the inning without Albert scoring. Brazzaville's first hit also came with two out in the second, as their left fielder Charm Simwanza came up with a triple, and he became the first man to score a run when a wild pitch allowed him to come home and give the Mambas a 1-0 lead after two innings.

After surviving an error from catcher Glen Malika which gave Brazzaville a baserunner in the third, Kinshasa had a chance to get on the scoreboard in the fourth after a lead-off double from first baseman Gédéon Bisungu, who advanced to third on a fly ball and then came home when short stop Kamana Mutamba grounded out for the second out of the inning. Things got even better for the Leopards in the fifth, when the league's historic first home run was hit by third baseman Ibrahim Kalamba, putting Kinshasa ahead 2-1. With rain beginning to fall in the bottom half of the fifth, Brazzaville's South African second baseman Thomas Barnard came to bat with catcher Loris Loemba at second and two out, and he found a gap in the infield for the hit which brought Loemba home to tie the score again. Brazzaville though would have been frustrated that centre fielder Wilfrid Ibara had been thrown out at third following Loemba's own hit, taking away a baserunner and a possible chance to take the lead.

With light rain still falling, a one-out hit for Brazzaville was all that either team could manage in the sixth, and with one out in the top of the seventh the rain got heavier and forced a delay which lasted nearly half an hour. When play resumed, Ibrahim Kalamba was standing at first base for Kinshasa after an infield hit just before the delay. Pitcher Charles Malonga ended that threat by getting Leopards catcher Glen Malika to hit into an inning-ending double play and in the bottom of the seventh, Mambas right fielder Anges Makouangou led off with a double against an apparently tiring Adaon Mavinga. After an intentional walk and another hit from Loris Loemba, Kinshasa were in trouble and with the bases loaded and nobody out, made the first pitching change. Mavinga was replaced by Ethiopian Ephrem Taye, who got the first out on a pop-up behind home plate but then threw a wild pitch which allowed Makouangou to come home with the second Mambas run to score on a wild pitch in the game, giving the home team a 3-2 lead.

Taye got through the rest of the seventh with no further damage, but Brazzaville still took a one-run lead in to the eighth inning. They kept starter Malonga in the game and he got through the eighth impressively with a one-two-three inning, and in the bottom of the eighth a one-out single from DH Geoffrey Kanga and an error from Leopards second baseman Marco Bouesso, who had just come into the game, gave Brazzaville two baserunners and a chance to add to their lead. Coincidentally, Bouesso hails from Brazzaville but plays his baseball across the river in Kinshasa. Pitcher Taye regained his composure and a fly ball followed by a strikeout kept the Leopards in the game, maintaining just a one-run deficit heading to the ninth. That was the cue for Malonga to be replaced by Mambas closer Farnese Kounkou, who would attempt to secure the historic first win. A ground ball and a strikeout retired the first two hitters, leaving it down to short stop Kamana Mutamba to keep the game going, but all he could do was hit a fly ball to centre field, where Wilfrid Ibara made the catch to end the game.

Against many people's expectations it was the Brazzaville Mambas who had the first win by a score of 3-2, but it was an evening of frustration for Kinshasa who had led 2-1 and who allowed two of the Mambas' runs to score as a result of wild pitches. Brazzaville pitcher Malonga was named player of the game, for his eight innings of work in which he allowed two runs on just four hits. In all however, despite the rain delay which interrupted the game, the opening match-up of the inaugural season was a great success, enjoyed by more than 50,000 people, the majority of whom went home happy with a home victory. These two teams now have a day off tomorrow as the other thirty clubs get their campaigns underway, before resuming on Saturday and Sunday to complete their first three-game series.

[as5680]

OPENING WEEKEND ROUND-UP
21 March 2021

The first weekend, and first set of three-game series, in the African Baseball Union is now complete and the consensus is that it has been a remarkable success. Some high scoring games with plenty of good hitting and also some good pitching performances, with seven teams completing three-game sweeps and the other nine series being split two to one. We have also seen the full range of weather that the league has to offer, with one postponement due to rain and several other delays, while temperatures have ranged from a cool 51 degrees on the coast in Casablanca to the blinding heat of a 103 degree evening game on the edge of the Sahara in Ouagadougou.

All four series in the Sahara Division ended up as three game sweeps. Khartoum took the first game against Algiers thanks to six scoreless innings from starter Sharaf Hassan, going on to take it 3-1, and then added the second game on the back of a five-run first inning which included three home runs. The Crocodiles, who underachieved in pre-season, then completed the sweep with a wonderful pitching performance from Ethiopian Alemayehu Okubamicael, who recorded a four-hit shutout, the first in league history, in a 4-0 victory. Highly fancied Tripoli eased past Alexandria 5-1 in their opener as pitcher Mourad Berrada recovered from giving up a first inning run to produce eight superb innings of work. Alexandria also scored first in game two but three home runs turned the game round for the Nomads as they took it 4-1. An early barrage of runs ended the third game as a contest in the second inning, with focus on pitcher Khalid Elamin's no-hitter attempt, which got as far as one out in the eighth before it was broken up by Belal Eid. The final score was a 12-0 hammering, taking Tripoli to 3-0 alongside Khartoum.

Marrakech led from the first inning of their first game against Cairo, taking it 3-1 with another strong performance from ace pitcher Sofiène Benzakour who gave up only four hits in eight innings. They would lead from the start again in game two, winning it 3-0, as Angolan Luís Saraiva pitched eight shutout innings before giving way to closer Walid El-Sayed. The Reds let slip an early lead in the last game before a two-run home run from shortstop Sabri Betrouni in the seventh put them ahead for good, the final score of 3-2 though reflecting what was actually a hard fought series. Casablanca eased past Tunis 7-1 in their opener, having been set on their way in the first inning with a two-run home run from the first pick in the free agent draft, Said Abdou. The Camels were indebted to more than seven shutout innings from Abbas Jendoubi in the second game to lead them to a 2-0 win, befrore catcher Wanis El Alami broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run home run in the seventh inning of the final game to secure a sweep with a 4-1 win.

In contrast there was only one sweep in the Western Division, with Accra taking all three against Niamey. They took the first game 7-3 after an eighth inning collapse from the Gazelles' Cuban reliever Fabian Jiménez, who gave up four hits and two walks which led to five runs scoring. Niamey started game two well, leading 3-1 heading into the fourth, but one run had already scored on an RBI triple before Wahab Ekow’s grand slam put Accra on their way to an eventual 6-4 win. The final game was scoreless into the sixth, only for an explosion of three back-to-back home runs gave Accra a four-run lead, as they eventually went on to take the win 5-2. Dakar took the first two games against visitors Lagos, Chet Morgado's three-run double in the seventh helping to overturn an early deficit and give them a 5-2 victory in the first. In the second, three hits including a solo home run from Tidiane Ganamé took Dakar to a 6-2 success. They were unable to complete the sweep however, as two home runs from Abdul Issah, including the vital one in the eighth, took Lagos to a 4-3 win in the third game.

After easing to a 5-1 win on opening day thanks to a three-run first inning and a fine outing from pitcher Jean-Baptiste Lankoandé, Ouagadougou had an even better start from Adama Bikienga in their second game against Bamako. He got through seven and two-thirds innings without allowing a hit, and even after giving up back to back singles got out of the eighth with the shutout intact, but the Stallions had not been able to score themselves and closer Nama Fofana gave up three runs in the ninth, giving the Vultures a 3-0 win. The final game was an offensive battle which saw Bamako catcher Drissa Sangaré go 4-4 with a home run, leading his team to a 15-8 success to take the series. Kano made a fine start against Abidjan when Alfornce Mativenga became the first man to hit two home runs in a regular season game to inspire an opening 7-1 win, before an exciting second game in which the Elephants ties the game with two out in the top of the ninth only to see a vital hit from Amadou Adji give Kano the win 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth. Abidjan avoided the sweep in spectacular fashion, hammering 14 runs in the third game including a home run from Kouadio-Yves Komenan, the only man to hit one in all three games on opening weekend.

In the Central Division, there was again just a single three-game sweep with Nairobi taking all three against Kigali. Pitcher Tafadzwa Songani recovered from allowing a run in the first to lead his team to a 3-1 success in the opener, while Jonathan Muluya was almost as strong in the 5-3 victory in game two. In the last game, a three-run double from Aruban DH Iwan Bravo capped a four-run seventh as the Giraffes came back from a 5-2 deficit to take it 6-5. In the series between Kinshasa and Brazzaville, the Mambas victory in on opening night was followed by the good news that expected number one starter Andre Kwizera had been passed fit to pitch the second game, but he fell behind early on and Brazzaville needed a ninth-inning run to force extra innings. Despite saving the game again in the twelfth, they finally fell short in the sixteenth when Ibrahim Kalamba hit his second home run of the night and third in two games to give Kinshasa a 4-3 win. The Leopards claimed the series in the final game when Mambas reliever Ben Djaffar crumbled in the ninth, allowing five runs to score and turn a narrow 3-2 lead into an insurmountable 8-2 deficit.

Rain in Cameroon washed out the opening night game between Dar es Salaam and Yaoundé, and with the league keen to keep on top of rescheduled games a double header was fixed for Saturday. A two run home run from Sanneh Hamisi in the first inning gave the Wildebeest a lead that they never surrendered in the first game, taking the win 8-2, before a strong start from pitcher Jacques Kas in the second game took Dar es Salaam to a 5-2 victory. Looking for a sweep in Sunday’s final game, third pitcher Idris Derbani had a nightmare opening to his season as he retired only one of the nine Lions hitters that he faced, allowing six runs before being taken out of the game. It could have been even worse had Bryce Bernard not been thrown out at the plate when trying to score on a sac fly, but the lead was too much to overcome and Yaoundé took the win 7-4. In Addis Ababa, the Kampala Cranes took a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning on opening day but gave up seven runs, including a three-run home run from player of the game Yonathan Gebrezgabihier, led to an 8-4 success for the home team. Kampala tied the series thanks to a strong start from pitcher Polly Kiyonga in game two, winning it 8-2, before back-to-back home runs form Mugume Mbambu and Hassan Osman saw the Cranes turn around a deficit to take the last game 5-2 and win the series.

Despite an average pre-season, Antananarivo are strong favourites in the Southern Division and they lived up to that billing by recording the division’s only three-game sweep against Maputo. Centre fielder Sonito Buba’s three-run home run in the second led the Lemurs to a 4-1 win in the opener, before five home runs, two of them from catcher Justin Jean, inspired an overwhelming 15-6 victory in game two. The Lemurs hit double figures again in game three, taking it 11-4 as Maputo’s pitchers failed to cope with their strong hitting line up, which still has star Jessy Rabenandrasana to return from injury. The Lusaka Rhinos recovered from losing a 3-1 lead late on in Durban to take their opener 6-3 in fourteen innings, first baseman Edwin Chisanga’s two-run home run key to the extra innings success. The Hyenas were then overwhelmed 12-6 in the second game, Anthony Mutapa hitting two home runs, and seemed set to be swept when Lusaka scored two in the ninth to take a 5-3 lead in the third game. However, a two-run double from Sarel Watson tied the game and he then came home to score on a sac fly hit by Matshego Molusi, giving Durban a 6-5 win.

In the most pitcher friendly ballpark in the league, it was no surprise that there were some tight battles when Johannesburg visited Cape Town, with the away team taking the first 4-3 thanks to a two-run home run from Edward Mtiya. In the second game, Johannesburg seemed set for another win when they led 5-2 in the eighth but Cape Town scored two there and another in the ninth to tie it, before winning on Rui Casanova’s RBI single in the eleventh. The third game was all about Johannesburg pitcher Adrian Sono, who kept the Sharks off the scoreboard all day in recording a six-hit shutout, just missing out on being the first pitcher to achieve that because Khartoum’s game finished earlier. Luanda made a flying start at Harare with two first inning home runs to lead 3-0, but the Zebras fought back with five RBIs from Ben Mumpande to earn an 8-4 victory. History repeated itself in game two as the Diamonds again scored three in the first before again falling behind, but this time tied it at 4-4 before an error, stolen base, wild pitch and sac fly brought in the winning run for Luanda in the ninth. The Diamonds then went on to take the series when a poor outing from Zebras starter Tendai Kawashu led to a 9-5 Luanda win in game three.

STANDINGS:

[as5680]

WEEKLY ROUND-UP
28 March 2021

The first full week of play in the African Baseball Union is now complete, with teams having now completed nine games, except for those who have been hit by postponements. Two games were called off on Saturday and one on Sunday, and rather than reschedule those for days when teams are having to travel for their next game, they have all been rearranged for early July when the teams are next due to meet in the same stadium.

As for this week’s action, in the Sahara Division the four clubs who swept their opening series were matched together in midweek, with Marrakech travelling to Tripoli and Casablanca hosting Khartoum. In Casablanca, the home team took the first two games, becoming the only club in the league to start the season 5-0, but trailed throughout in the third as Khartoum avoided a sweep. Tripoli and Marrakech split the first two, and in the third it was a four-run sixth inning for Tripoli which overturned an early deficit to give them the series win. Elsewhere, Algiers took the first two in Tunis but were denied a sweep when a five-hit shutout from Yassine Rahuma gave Tunis their first win of the season at the sixth attempt. Cairo also started 0-5 after losing the first two in Alexandria, but tied the third game with two runs in the ninth and won it 7-4 after scoring three in the eleventh.

All three weekend series were split two game to one, with Tripoli ending the week a game clear at the top having earned two comfortable wins in Cairo. Only a poor seventh inning in game two, when they allowed four runs in a 6-3 loss, prevented a possible sweep. Having overwhelmed Alexandria in game one, Marrakech dropped a tight second game before easing to victory in the third. It was the same story in Tunis, where Khartoum won the first and third games but stumbled in the second as a two-run home run from Hafed Habri in the eighth inning earned Tunis a 2-1 victory. Casablanca’s strong start to the season seemed to be coming to a shuddering end as they lost the first two games of their series in Algiers and then let slip an early 5-0 lead to trail 6-5 late in the third game, but a late home run turned that one round as well as Charles-Olivier Brault’s vital hit scored two to give the Camels a 7-6 win. That left them in a three-way tie for second with Marrakech and Khartoum, a game behind Tripoli.

As widely expected due to the heat and altitude of some of the ballparks, there has been plenty of scoring in the Western Division where it is Accra and Kano who lead the way at the end of the week. One of the biggest stories in midweek was the offensive explosion from Kano, who hit double figures in all three games in Ouagadougou, although they still missed out on a sweep after dropping a remarkable second game 13-12. Having come in at 3-0, Accra dropped two tight games in Lagos including one where a 6-0 lead slipped away, before recovering to win the last. Niamey, who started the week at 0-3, quickly dragged themselves back to .500 by sweeping Dakar, capping the series with Boukari Amadou’s tenth inning home run to take the final game 3-2. Bamako looked set to sweep Abidjan after taking the first two and having ace Aboubacar Maïga on the mound for the final game, but he put in an uncharacteristically poor performance as the Vultures slipped to a heavy defeat.

In the weekend games, Accra completed a miserable week for Dakar as they too swept three games, leaving the men from Senegal in last place at 2-7 and on a seven game losing run. Accra sit at 7-2 alongside Kano, whose run output slowed a little in their series in Bamako but they still had more than enough to take all three games. Lagos are the other team in the division who have a winning record, sitting two games back after recovering from defeat in the first game against Niamey by taking the remaining two, capped by a superb pitching performance from Abdouraziz Sawadogo in the final game. In the remaining series Abidjan outscored Ouagadougou 10-9 across the three games but still lost two out of three having dropped close battles on Friday and Sunday. The most crucial moment came in the first game when trailing 3-2 in the ninth, Kanfoury Doré grounded out with the bases loaded to end the game.

In the Central Division, rain affected the weekend programme but all midweek games went ahead as scheduled, with Nairobi losing the division’s only perfect record in their first game in Kinshasa, Amir Anfumu beating a throw home to score the winning run in the ninth. Nairobi however rallied to take the next two games and move to 5-1. Dar es Salaam looked set for a three-game sweep in Kampala when they led 4-0 in the final game of the series, but the Cranes scored five in the sixth, capped y a three-run home from from Mugume Mbambu, and went on to win it 6-4. After winning the first game in Addis Ababa, Yaoundé let slip a ninth inning lead in the second game as back-to-back doubles from Ketema Hailu and Yonathan Gebrezgabihier turned it around for the home team. Addis then went on to win the decider comfortably to take the series. Kigali headed into their series in Brazzaville at 0-3 and slipped to 0-5 when a 7-2 lead evaporated in the second game, but like Cairo and Tunis they avoided an 0-6 start by taking the final game, dominating in an 11-5 victory.

Dar es Salaam moved clear at the top of the division on the back of strong pitching in their weekend series with Addis Ababa. Six and a third shutout innings from Jacques Kas led them to victory in the first game and having also taken the second, Victor Yohana was magnificent in the final game as he allowed just two hits in eight shutout innings. Nairobi sit half a game behind after losing a 4-2 lead in dropping their first game against Brazzaville 5-4, before Saturday’s game fell victim to rain. Second inning home runs from Moses Momanyi and Sammy Elele led the Giraffes to victory in Sunday’s game to ensure the two games which were played were shared. Yaoundé and Kampala also suffered a postponement, this time of Sunday’s final game. That meant that Kampala were denied the chance of a three-game sweep, having to settle for just two after Hassan Osman’s eighth inning home run brought them a second successive win on Saturday. The series between Kigali and Kinshasa saw two extra inning battles, Kinshasa winning in twelve innings in the second game but Kigali avoiding a sweep by taking the final matchup 5-4 on Saidi Uwimana’s eleventh inning home run.

Antananarivo lost the Southern Division’s only undefeated record in their first game against Cape Town, going down 5-3, but recovered to win the next two and take the series. Harare produced some impressive hitting to record a three-game sweep of Durban, the most dramatic game being the eleven inning battle in Saturday’s second meeting. Luanda dominated their first game against Lusaka with two home runs from Korean Young-Chan Kang and eight scoreless innings pitched by Geraldo Domingos, and it was Kang’s home run in the fourth inning of Sunday’s game which was crucial in the Diamonds winning the series after Lusaka had hit back to take the second game. In a tight series between Johannesburg and Maputo, the Spitting Cobras tied the first game with two out in the ninth thanks to a home from Helton Pimentel before winning it in the tenth. They went on to record a sweep with two single run victories and a 5-3 comeback win in the final game.

The weekend action saw Antananarivo move two games clear in first place by sweeping Johannesburg, the two-run home run from Ahmed Razafy in the first game which turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win for the Lemurs being the closest that Johannesburg would get. After sharing their first two games with Durban, it is Luanda who sit in second place after a second impressive display of the week from pitcher Geraldo Domingos, who pitched another seven scoreless innings and allowed just two hits in a 1-0 win. Harare overwhelmed Lusaka 12-6 in their first game after Francis Chekamondo hit two home runs accounting for seven of his team’s runs, but they could not follow up the success as the Rhinos came back to take the next two games and win the series. Seven shutout innings from Tshepo Thomas led Cape Town to a 4-1 win in Maputo in their series opener, and after rain washed out Saturday’s game they looked set to sweep what was now a two-game series with a 4-0 lead in the final game. However, sixth inning home runs from Toto Ranaivo and Flávio Bento sparked a comeback as the Spitting Cobras took the win 7-4 to share the two games.

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WEEKLY ROUND-UP
4 April 2021

After another week of three-game series between division rivals, most of the African Baseball Union clubs have now played fifteen games. There is one more week of series to come in the same pattern, before the first inter-division games begin. It was a week largely dominated by offense, as some high scores were recorded and some memorable performances produced with the bat.

Having started the week with a one game lead in the Sahara Division, Tripoli lost that advantage when they fell to a 5-3 defeat in the first game of their series with Casablanca, Jalal Nounou's fourth inning grand slam making the difference. The second game was postponed due to bad weather, but Tripoli did at least grab a share of the two games that were played as they reversed the 5-3 scoreline in Wednesday's meeting. Khartoum looked set to sweep all three games against Marrakech when they tied Tuesday's second game in the ninth inning and won it with a sac fly in the bottom of the eleventh, but the Reds hit back with a five-run sixth inning in the last game, capped by Asrack Hachoud's two-run home run, to take the win 7-5. Cairo and Algiers also suffered a postponement, with their second game on Wednesday called off, by which time the Fennecs had already come back from a 4-0 deficit to win the first game 10-4 having scored six runs on just five hits in the seventh inning. They they secured a two-game sweep when Madagascan pitcher Gilles Ratsimbazafy threw a four-hit shutout in Thursday's game. Seven shutout innings from Yassine Rahuma helped Tunis level their series in Alexandria after the first two games, but it was Alexandria who took the series in the end after Mohamed al-Rahman's walk off single in the twelfth inning of the final game.

All that meant that Tripoli led by half a game heading into the weekend series, and they strengthened their position in first place with an impressive sweep of Algiers. The first game was tied in the sixth inning but Naji Aït's solo home run set the Nomads on their way to a 7-1 win and they never looked back, taking the remaining two games comfortably. It is Casablanca who are leading the chase after they too swept their weekend series against Alexandria. Mehdi Filali's two-run home run in the eighth inning of the first game broke a 2-2 tie and set the Camels on the way to a 4-3 win, while they started the second with a grand slam from Said Abdou and went on to record a wild 13-8 success. In the third, Hamadah El Mahdioui's seventh inning home run ended Alexandria's resistance as the Camels took it 6-3. Well fancied Khartoum slumped to a surprisingly heavy defeat in their first game against Cairo, and responded with a stunning display of power hitting in the second meeting. The Crocodiles hit a remarkable ten home runs, no fewer than four of them from highly rated youngster Ahmed Hassan Ahmed. The final game was much tighter but Khartoum edged home 4-3 to take the series win and stay just a game and half back. Eight shutout innings from American Tony Drozda set Tunis on the way to taking game one 1-0 in Marrakech, and although the Reds tied the series by taking the next game it seemed that Tunis would win the series when they led the finale 4-1 in the eighth. Marrakech thought differently though, and three home runs in that inning turned it around to give them a 5-4 win.

It was a week of very hot weather in the Western Division, peaking at a sweltering 106 degrees in Niamey. Accra and Kano had shared first place going into the week, but enjoyed very different fortunes. Kano had already lost twice in Niamey before that 106 degree game, and fell to a three-game sweep when they melted in the heat and gave up four first inning runs in a 7-2 defeat. Accra on the other hand began with a superb pitching performance from Figo Xavier in a 6-0 win over Abidjan, and then having come from behind to take the second game completed a sweep of their own with another comeback in the final meeting. Gwarza Olanrewaju's three-run home run in the seventh inning of Lagos' first game in Bamako turned a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead, with Lagos going on to win it 10-6. Bamako edged the second game 3-2 with a late Oumar Kanté home run however, and then took the series by winning the final game 5-1 after a superb pitching display from Soumaila Fall. Dakar entered the week on a seven-game losing run and things got even worse in the first game in Ouagadougou, the Stallions taking it 10-0 with the help of four hits from first baseman Joël Sanon. After another defeat in the second game, a sloppy fourth inning in which the first two batters reached base on errors cost Dakar any chance in the final meeting, as they slipped to a 5-2 loss which extended their losing run to ten.

Accra now led the division by three full games and continued their impressive form with a big win in their first game in Ouagadougou, which they followed up with another comfortable victory a day later. That made it nine successive wins and a tenth seemed inevitable when the Stars held an 8-2 lead in the seventh inning of the final game, but Ouagadougou hit back thanks to poor pitching from Prince Dinku which allowed them to close to 8-7. An inning later, a two-run single from Laciné Kambou completed the comeback as the Stallions took a 9-8 win. Special mention must be made of Accra's second baseman Fafa Ankomah, who recorded five hits in both the first and second games of the series. Lagos emerged into second place after sweeping Nigerian rivals Kano, who went 0-6 during the week. After taking a tight opener 5-4, Lagos slugged five home runs in winning the second game 9-6 and then erased a ninth inning deficit with Abdul Issah's three-run homer in taking the finale 7-6. Niamey pitcher Josué Martín gave up five successive hits in a poor fourth inning which led to an 8-3 loss in their opening game with Abidjan, and the Elephants added the second game as well before Niamey found their form, producing 17 hits to take Sunday's meeting by a score of 8-4. Dakar's ten game losing run ended in spectacular fashion as back-to-back two run singles from Ibrahima Diop and Mame Sow capped a six-run fifth inning in their opener against Bamako. They took the second as well after hold off a late fightback, but failed in their bid for a sweep as Bamako outfielder Bobista Bernardes hit a two-run home run in the ninth to seal victory in the third game.

In the Central Division, Dar es Salaam had entered the week with a half-game lead over Nairobi and when those two teams met, it was the Wildebeest who took game one thanks to Khalid Athuman's eighth inning home run turning a close 5-3 game into a more comfortable 8-3 win. Nairobi hit back to take game two, and then edged themselves into first place in the division with a series-winning 4-2 success in the third game. A strong outing from pitcher Adaon Mavingo took Kinshasa to victory in their first game in Kampala, but eight shutout innings from Zacharie Munezero helped the Cranes level the series by taking the second game 1-0. Kampala's pitcher in game three, Polly Kiyonga, had started the season very well but he handed the series to the Leopards when he allowed hits from the first five batters he faced in the fourth inning, all of whom scored. Two home runs from Christ Ngoma set Brazzaville on the way to victory in their first game in Addis Ababa, only for the Highlanders to storm back with the biggest win so far in the league, 16-1 in the second meeting. Addis then clinched the series with a comeback win in the final game, Debretsion Bakari's two run single in the sixth sealing the victory. Kigali edged game one against Yaoundé with an eleventh inning home run from German Cyubahiro, but lost the second game 4-1 and then slipped to a series defeat when strong pitching from Yannick Sadjo saw Yaoundé win the final game 6-1.

New leaders Nairobi did not last long in that position, losing an astonishing opener in Addis Ababa 13-12 having at one point come back from 12-1 behind to just 12-11. Having tied game two in the eighth, the Giraffes also lost that one thanks to Omar Saleh's RBI single later in the same inning and fell to a three-game sweep after a poor sixth inning from reliever Joseph Kipchirchir Osiako. That gave Dar es Salaam the chance to return to first place but having already won their first game in Kigali, they allowed eighth inning home runs to both Zéckis Uwineza and Dino Iberra as they slumped to defeat. Victory in the final game however left the Wildebeest still a game and a half ahead at the end of the week. Kampala moved into a tie for second place with Nairobi despite a remarkable loss in their first game in Brazzaville, where they tied the game at 6-6 on a two-out grand slam in the top of the ninth and then took the lead in the tenth. The Cranes could not hold on though, and Anges Makouangou's two-run single won it for Brazzaville in the bottom of the tenth. Kampala hit back to win game two and then took the series victory on the back of a three-hit shutout from pitcher Paul Sserunkuma. Yaoundé took game one against Kinshasa, only to see the Leopards level the series in a tight second game, Amir Anfumu's eighth inning RBI single giving Kinshasa a 2-1 victory. It was Yaoundé who ended up winning the series however, holding on to take it 7-6 despite a late rally from the Leopards.

The Southern Division is going as many people expected so far with the Antananarivo Lemurs looking set to dominate. They headed into this week leading by two games and showed their offensive power throughout their six games. The star of their series against Durban was undoubtedly first baseman Winston Jaotombo, who hit two home runs in each of the three games. The Lemurs failed to sweep the series however, having let slip a late lead in the opener before giving up three runs in the twelfth to fall to defeat. They did rally to win the next two and maintain their lead in the standings. Luanda looked set to emerge as their strongest challengers on the back of good pitching, with seven and two-third shutout innings from Sabri Khalil in the opener and seven more from William Mateus in the second game setting up 3-0 and 8-0 wins over Johannesburg. However, they slumped to a heavy defeat in game three and missed out on the chance to close the gap on Antananarivo. Cape Town had already taken game one in Harare and were one out from taking the second 4-3, only for Bassirou Tall's RBI single to tie the game and then Trevor Smith's three-run home run to win it for the Zebras. Five runs on five hits, including back-to-back two run doubles from Ayanda Mosheu and Miki Moussa, gave Cape Town the series as they won the decider 7-5. Yusuf Boba's home run set Lusaka on the way to a 2-1 win in their opener in Maputo, but a walk-off walk saw Maputo take game two 3-2. In another tight game to end the series, Sam Del Valle's two run double in the seventh saw the Spitting Cobras take it 4-3.

If Luanda were expected to provide a stern test for Antananarivo in their weekend series, the first game backed up that theory as the Lemurs just edged it 2-1. Facing pitcher Geraldo Domingos in the second game, who had fifteen shutout innings to his name so far this season, the Lemurs then sent out a warning that they will be very tough to catch as they scored five on four hits in the fifth inning on the way to a 6-1 win. An early 3-0 deficit was then overturned in the final game as Antananarivo completed a sweep and moved to thirteen wins from their fifteen games so far. It is now Maputo who have edged into second place, a 5-1 win in their first game in Durban followed by a 3-1 win in game two thanks to Toto Ranaivo's two-run single in the ninth. Durban however avoided the sweep with a recover from 4-2 behind to take the last game 6-4. Lusaka edged their opener in Cape Town 3-2 thanks to Brent Kwiliko's two-run triple. They also took the second, but the Sharks prevented a sweep as Solo Adrien's fine pitching display set up an 8-0 win in game three. Harare gave up six hits and two errors in the seventh as a 2-1 lead turned into a 6-2 defeat against Johannesburg, and were then overwhelmed in the second game before Biggie Mhlanga's second inning grand slam set them on their way to victory in the finale, avoiding a three-game sweep.

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WEEKLY ROUND-UP
11 April 2021

The African Baseball Union season has now reached the end of the first major block of games, with every club now having faced a three game series against each of their seven divisional opponents (not allowing for postponed games which will be made up later in the year). They will now not see division rivals again until June, as inter-division games begin this week with two-game series against every club in the other three divisions. Those games begin with the Sahara Division clubs facing the Central Division and the Western Division teams up against the Southern Division, with the clubs from the Southern Conference at home to begin the week. This week also saw the first trade in league history, with Australian shortstop Brody McCarthy moving from Johannesburg to Dakar alongside back-up outfielder Wendell Nxumalo. Heading the other way were relief pitcher Yaya Badara and third baseman Yaya Lo.

The week’s action in the Sahara Division began with an eagerly awaited first series between Tripoli and Khartoum, with the Crocodiles looking to close a two and a half game deficit on the division leaders. Hashim Mahgoub’s three-run home run in the sixth inning of game one set them on the way to doing that with a 5-2 victory, but pitcher Tag Bakri’s poor outing in the second game allowed Tripoli to level the series. Khartoum led late on in the final game, but Emir Bidwai’s two-run home run in the eighth turned a 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 lead to give Tripoli the win and the series. Casablanca had begun the week in second place and face Moroccan rivals Marrakech for the first time, losing the opener 5-4 following Abdelmalek Charef’s walk-off RBI single. A day later, the same man ground out to second with the bases loaded as another comeback attempt from the Reds fell short, but Marrakech still took the series after an impressive performance from pitcher Hajj Abo Saif in the decider, throwing seven shutout innings in a comfortable win. Algiers swept their series against Alexandria, inspired by a third inning grand slam from Anees Ashur which turned the first game in their favour. Ashur also hit a three-run shot in the third inning of game two to put the Fennecs in control there, before a five-run first inning in the final game was sparked by another grand slam, this time from Panamanian second baseman Max Mendoza. Excellent pitching from Abdelrahman Rashed inspired Cairo to take their first game against fellow strugglers Tunis 5-1, but the Eagles came from behind to edge the second 3-2, sparked by a two-run home run from Hicham Abd Almajid in the seventh. The third game was postponed, leaving the series shared.

The weekend series saw Tripoli attempting to extend their lead in the division further against Tunis, and they made a fine start when Amir Kecita led off with a home run in the first inning of the opener, giving the Nomads a lead they never relinquished. They dominated the second game, the highlight being a fifth inning grand slam from Ibrahim Hamoud, but missed out on a sweep when Icham Benhalima’s seventh inning RBI single capped a fightback from 3-1 down to give the Eagles a 4-3 win. That would have given Casablanca a chance to close the gap, especially after Said Abdou’s early three-run homer led them to victory in their opener in Cairo, but the Pharaohs hit back in the second game. They took it 4-3 in eleven innings as Jusuf Berrada came home with the winning run when Camels shortstop Charles-Olivier Brault misplayed what should have been an inning ending ground ball. An excellent start from Taiwanese pitcher Rong-Chia Wang gave Casablanca a win in the final game to take the series, keeping them two games behind Tripoli. Khartoum lost more ground however, despite Abdelhalim Eissa’s first inning grand slam setting up a big win in their first game in Alexandria. Pitcher Bernardo Kahafowa allowed seven runs on eight hits in a disastrous two and two-thirds innings to cost the Crocodiles game two, and they lost the series after reliever Mohamed Kharja walked in what turned out to be the winning run in the fifth inning of the decider. In-form Algiers took the first game against Marrakech on the back of two home runs from Douba Amadou, but their strong run was stopped in game two as star pitcher Sofiène Benzakour stunned them with a five-hit shutout. Marrakech took an early lead in the decider thanks to a first inning home run from Buchizya Kazembe, and retained the advantage throughout to take a 5-1 win.

The Accra Stars began the week with a three game lead in the Western Division, but began dreadfully as an uncharacteristically poor display from number one starter Esaiah Hammond gave Bamako seven third-inning runs on their way to a 10-2 victory. Accra hit back in game two as star hitters Clifford Asamoah and Seth Bentil hit back-to-back home runs to set their team on the way to victory, and they eventually claimed the series win despite a late scare in game three when Bamako’s ninth inning comeback attempt fell short with the tying run on base. Lagos had begun the week in second place but their series in Abidjan began disappointingly as Kanfoury Doré’s RBI triple and Tony Piño’s two-run walk-off homer turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 win for the Elephants. Pitcher Ebi Amoo struggled for Lagos in game two as Abidjan took another victory, and they completed the sweep as back-to-back home runs from Bassala Diallo and Piño helped overturn an early 3-0 deficit in the finale. All three games between Ouagadougou and Niamey were played in blinding heat, with the 97-degree opener the only game to stay below three digits. Niamey took that game after Islam Idrissi’s two-run double in the first sparked a comfortable win, before another impressive display from in-form pitcher Adama Bikienga levelled the series for the Stallions. Both teams struggled in 105-degree conditions in the decider, with the only run scoring for Ouagadougou on a ground out from Joël Sanon in the third inning. Strugglers Dakar had shown signs of improvement last week but were shut down by Kano’s Sani Hilaru in their opening game, as he threw an impressive five-hit shutout. Dakar actually took a first inning lead in game two but could do nothing else against another impressive Kano pitcher Frank Johnson, and suffered another sweep when Abdu Salifu’s three-run home run in the first inning set Kano on the way to an easy win.

The weekend action began with leaders Accra holding off a late Kano fightback in their opening game, and they then looked set to snatch game two in the ninth when they erased a 6-4 deficit and got the winning run to second base. Kano managed to get out of the inning however, and Ernest Akor’s eleventh inning RBI single levelled the series. A three-run third inning, capped by a two-run double from Abdullahi Isiaka, then gave the Horsemen the series win as Accra’s impressive season faltered very slightly. Sharing second place with Kano heading into the weekend were Ouagadougou, and they took their opener in Lagos after Kaé Sanogo’s second inning home run helped overturn an early deficit. Lagos reversed that outcome in game two, coming back from 1-0 behind early on to win, but it was the Stallions who kept pace with Kano in second place when Laciné Kambou drove in the winning run with two outs in the top of the ninth in the decider. In a high scoring series between Niamey and Bamako, a dreadful performance from Bamako pitcher Willy Tamboulas gave the Gazelles the opener before Mahamadou Guindo broke a 4-4 in the sixth inning of game two to set up a series-levelling win for the Vultures. In the final game, Niamey took a 4-1 lead into the eighth inning and that incredibly turned into a 15-1 advantage as Bamako crumbled, allowing eleven runs before even recording a single out and eventually losing the game 15-2. Dakar’s struggles continued as they trailed from the first inning in game one in Abidjan after Bassala Diallo’s solo home run, before losing a tight second game as Kanfoury Doré drove in the winning run with a walk-off single with two outs in the ninth. Dakar were however pleased to see two hits from new acquisition Brody McCarthy as they hit back to take the final game 4-1.

Central Division leaders Dar es Salaam opened the week with a marathon struggle against Kinshasa, which they eventually took 2-1 with Kalifou Kassim’s walk-off RBI single in the seventeenth inning, at 1:42 am local time. Game two was also tight and Kinshasa took a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning, only to see the Wildebeest immediately overturn it on John Raphael Peter’s two-out two-run single which earned a 4-3 win. Game three was much easier for Dar es Salaam, as they completed the sweep with a 7-1 success, sparked by Sanneh Hamisi’s two-run homer in the first. Nairobi and Kampala shared second place as the week began and they met for a three-game series in Kenya, with visitors Kampala taking the opener after a thirteen-inning battle which ended after Harisheh Henry marked his first start of the year by hitting a solo home run in the top of the thirteenth. Pitcher Polly Kiyonga threw seven impressive innings as the Cranes also took the second game 4-1, and they cemented second place in the division after a three-run home run from Venezuelan Pedro González set-up the sweep in game three. Addis Ababa literally threw away an early 2-0 lead in their first game in Kigali, with three walks, a passed ball and a wild pitch in the bottom of the first allowing the Phoenix to level the score, before Zéckis Uwineza and Savio Dieudonné hit home runs in the eighth to earn a 5-3 win for Kigali. Addis Ababa levelled the series in game two when Awed Asrat’s two-run home run in the sixth broke a 2-2 tie, and it was the Highlanders who took the series when Asrat again homered in the eighth inning of game three, this time putting his team ahead 4-3. Karim Sallam’s sixth inning home run gave Brazzaville a 4-3 win over Yaoundé in game one of their series, but the Lions took game two on Yann Moussa’s walk-off homer in the eleventh inning. In the decider, pitcher Gaelle Songo suffered a dreadful day for Yaoundé and handed the win to the Mambas, 10-6.

Leaders Dar es Salaam began their weekend series against Brazzaville by falling 3-0 behind in game one, but Sanneh Hamisi’s fifth-inning grand slam turned the game and the Wildebeest took it 7-4. They again had to come from behind in game two, scoring three in the fifth as a sac fly from Dio Karanth completed the turnaround and earned a 4-3 win. To complete the set, Brazzaville again led 3-1 in the finale but allowed five runs in the seventh, including a three-run shot from Khalid Athuman, as Dar es Salaam completed the sweep. That put the pressure on second-placed Kampala to keep pace, and they made a bad start when Savio Dieudonné’s two run double in the top of the first gave Kigali a lead which they held throughout. The Cranes hammered five home runs in taking the second game to level the series, and then won the series on the back of eight shutout innings from pitcher Zacharie Munezero in a 2-0 victory. Kinshasa overcame a second-inning injury to pitcher Mufuka Besala as their bullpen combined to shut out Addis Ababa in their opener, and then also took game two when Ibrahim Kalamba hit a walk-off home run in the twelfth inning. The Highlanders avoided the sweep however, despite facing a 7-2 deficit heading into the eighth. Their first seven batters all recorded hits to tie the game, and then with two out Debretsion Bakari hit a two-run double to earn a 9-7 win. Having already been swept by Kampala, Nairobi’s poor week got much worse against Yaoundé as Bryce Bernard’s two-run double sealed a 5-3 game one win for the Lions. Nairobi lost again on Saturday when the tying run was left stranded at third base in a 7-6 defeat, and completed an 0-6 week when Herve Douva’s two-run home run won game three for Yaoundé in the eleventh inning. Nairobi have now lost their last nine games having been in first place before the start of that run.

Antananarivo began the week leading the Southern Division by four and a half games, and Arnaud Rabarison’s two-run homer in the sixth inning set up an opening game win in Harare. Trevor Smith’s home run broke a 2-2 tie in game two to level the series for the Zebras, but Antananarivo claimed the series after three hits in the decider from Tsima Rabarijaona, who is leading the league in batting average by some margin. Maputo had been leading the chase behind the Lemurs and they began their week by winning game one in Luanda after Valdemar Macuvele broke a 1-1 tie with a two-run home run in the seventh inning. Luanda levelled the series thanks to a magnificent pitching performance from Somalian Aweys Hersi, but it was the Spitting Cobras who won the series as Luanda’s next starter Adão de Brito failed to get out of the first inning. He allowed seven successive batters to reach base and left the game already trailing 5-0. Durban led their first game against South African rivals Cape Town 5-0 after three innings, but the Sharks stormed back and Derick Jantjie’s two-run single in the sixth put them ahead 6-5, before three more runs in the seventh sealed it. Matshego Molusi’s two-run home run in the fifth inning of game two put Durban out of sight as they levelled the series, but Cape Town claimed the decider with Sean Homani’s walk-off homer in the fifteenth. Lusaka hit two home runs in the thirteenth inning of their first game in Johannesburg to take it 3-1, before two homers from centre fielder Ivan Helfrich won game two for the Gold. Lusaka claimed the series after a two-run double from Brent Kwiliko gave them an early lead in game three which they never gave up.

Lusaka faced leaders Antananarivo in the weekend games and took a high-scoring opener as Lemurs starter Brian Palacay struggled, and then became the first team to take a series against Antananarivo after hammering six hits to score six runs in the eighth inning of game two. The Lemurs had their ace Jeremia Ramarolahy on the mound in the finale and he performed strongly again, avoiding the sweep with a 4-2 win. That series win put Lusaka into second place in the division, as Maputo crashed 9-1 in their first game against Harare after pitcher Manuel Hernández put in a poor display. The Spitting Cobras overturned a 2-0 deficit in game two thanks in part to Gonçalo Divrassone’s two-run double in the fifth, but lost the series and second place in the division after Kastrelo Nhamussua walked ten batters including five in one inning as Harare won it 4-2. Luanda pitcher Geraldo Domingos was magnificent in game one against Cape Town, allowing two hits in seven and one third shutout innings of a 5-0 victory. The Sharks hit back in game two, scoring two in the ninth to take it 6-5, and then took the finale 9-5 in eleven innings after Luanda’s bullpen melted down, walking four Cape Town batters. Johannesburg left the tying run on base in their first game against Durban, losing it 3-2, and looked set to lose game two as well as the Hyenas took a 4-0 lead to the bottom of the ninth. However, new acquisition Yaya Lo hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to restore hope and then with two outs and the bases loaded, outfielder Kenneth Uwe hit a three-run double to complete a remarkable comeback and win the game 5-4. Game three was also close, and with the score tied at 2-2 in the ninth it was Johannesburg second baseman Martin Maluleke who drove in the winning run to win the series for the Gold.

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WEEKLY ROUND-UP
18 April 2021

The first week of inter-division games in the African Baseball Union brought a few challenges as a result of postponements, as teams are not scheduled to meet in the same cities again this year, but all the games were eventually played with the exception of one which is due to be made up today. The action saw Dar es Salaam consolidate their position as holders of the league’s best record, while much-fancied Khartoum are underachieving after a poorer than expected week. The week also brought a second trade completed involving Johannesburg, who have been part of both trades seen in the league so far. This time, the Gold sent starting pitcher Thapelo October to Abidjan, in exchange for first baseman Wilfredo Alarcon and outfielder Hamed Kané. The changes seem to be helping Johannesburg, who had a superb week on the field.

The Sahara Division clubs were on the road against Central Division opponents this week and leaders Tripoli travelled to out of form Nairobi for the Tuesday and Wednesday games, and were stunned 6-3 in the opener after Giraffes’ pitcher Jonathan Muluya overcame a slow start to turn in a fine performance. The second game was postponed however, and has been slotted into tomorrow’s schedule before the Nomads return home and Nairobi head off to Khartoum. Central Division leaders Dar es Salaam overwhelmed Alexandria with six home runs in their first game, before getting a superb start from pitcher Idris Derbani in game two to complete a two-game sweep. Eight shutout innings from Mokhtar Saleh took struggling Cairo to a surprisingly easy win at Kampala in their opener, but the Cranes shared the series by taking the second game 5-3 with a home run from Mugume Mbambu, who is currently on a league-record setting hit streak. Addis Ababa swept two games against Tunis, the first on the back of strong pitching from Getnet Biza and the second after a lightning quick start with the bats, capped by a three-run first inning double from Yonathan Gebrezgabihier.

There was no sign of the struggles to come later in the week for Khartoum as they swept lowly Kigali, two two-run home runs in the fourth inning from Abdelhalim Eissa and Samuel Nabwire giving them game one, and Nabwire’s seventh-inning RBI single securing a 6-5 win a day later after a 4-0 lead had been lost. Algiers also let slip a 4-0 lead in their opener in Yaoundé, having no time to recover when a two-run walk off double from Xianjie Du won it for the Lions. A three-run home run in the second from Jean-Séraphin Minala gave Yaoundé a lead they never gave up in the second to secure the sweep. Poor pitching from Duval Badila cost Brazzaville their opener against Casablanca, but the Mambas sealed a share of the series by winning a wild second game 16-11, helped by three home runs from first baseman Karim Sallam. Marrakech’s game in Kinshasa was postponed on Tuesday so an early start was needed for both games to be fitted in on Wednesday, with Léopold Bompunga’s seventh inning double scoring two to win the opener 3-2 for Kinshasa. The Leopards then completed the sweep with a big win in the second game, as Reds pitcher Khaled Waliou suffered a very bad day.

Thursday and Friday’s games saw Tripoli scheduled to visit Addis Ababa, but rain in the Ethiopian capital on Thursday saw both games played the next day. Tripoli won the first after Japanese pitcher Eiichi Shigeki struggled for the Highlanders, and swept the series after first inning home runs from Karim Mekouar and Amir Kecita set up victory in the later game. Dar es Salaam extended their winning run to ten games, the first such run of the season for any club, after Sanneh Hamisi’s third inning home run overturned an early lead for Cairo in their first meeting. The run became eleven after six first-inning singles opened up a winning lead in game two. Chasing the two division leaders were Khartoum and Kampala and they met for two games in Uganda, with the Cranes taking the first as Mugume Mbambu continued his fine form with a three-run home run in the seventh. A day later, it was Brian Madhvani’s home run in the fifth which broke a 3-3 tie and set up a series sweep for Kampala. Casablanca took advantage of Khartoum’s defeats to move clear in second place in the Sahara Division, winning their opener in Kinshasa after the Leopards left the tying run at third base in the fourteenth inning of game one. The series was split after Kamana Mutamba’s three-run home run put Kinshasa out of sight in the fifth inning of game two.

A fourth inning collapse from Alexandria pitcher Mo Diarrassouba gave Nairobi the win in the first game of their series, but a two run double from Belal Eid in the top of the ninth broke a 4-4 tie in game two, giving the Delta a share of the series. Kigali’s poor start to the year continued as they were swept at home by Marrakech, a fine start from American pitcher Ron Nagel winning the opener for the Reds and ace Sofiène Benzakour following that with another quality start to ensure Marrakech won both games. Two home runs from Perezi Masika took Yaoundé to a 5-1 win over Tunis in their first meeting, while a disastrous start from Youcef Al-Tobshy saw him leave game two trailing 7-0 with nobody out in the second inning as the Lions completed a two-game sweep. Back-to-back home runs from Moncef Cherif and Abdulraouf Bentayeb set up a win for Algiers in game one in Brazzaville, but three hits from Anges Makouangou produced four runs and set up a series-levelling victory for the Mambas a day later.

The weekend games saw Tripoli travel to Yaoundé and continue their good form with a dominant win in the first game, a six-hit, four-run fourth inning key to the win. However, the Lions have also been in good form having won seven in a row before that defeat and they rallied to share the series, taking an early lead through Gael Yarro’s RBI triple in the first and holding it throughout to win 4-1. There was no let up in Dar es Salaam’s form as they swept Khartoum, leaving the Crocodiles even further off the pace in the Sahara Division. Khartoum scored first in the opener but Sanneh Hamisi’s two-run homer in the bottom of the first turned it around and the Wildebeest went on to win 6-3. In Sunday’s game, an RBI single from Farouk Mohammed in the fifth broke a 2-2 tie to earn a narrow victory, the thirteenth in a row for the Central Division leaders. Casablanca are now clear in second place in the Sahara Division and they swept lowly Kigali, a two-run home run from Mehdi Filali setting up Saturday’s win and fine pitching from Dutchman Gert de Jong seeing the Camels ease to another victory on Sunday. Kampala are trying hard to hold on to Dar es Salaam in the standings and they swept Marrakech to consolidate second place in the Central Division, after a disastrous outing from Reds pitcher Luís Saraiva in the opener and two home runs from catcher Tilahun Kasaye in the second game.

Algiers were restricted to just one hit in seven shutout innings by pitcher Désiré Kankolongo as they lost their opener in Kinshasa, but Gilles Ratsimbazafy returned the favour a day later as he allowed one hit in eight innings, giving Algiers a 4-0 win and a share of the series. The series between Cairo and Nairobi was also a tale of two fine pitching displays, as Tafadzwa Songani won the first game for Nairobi with seven strong innings, before Mokhtar Saleh outdid him with a magnificent two-hit shutout in game two. Two home runs from Amanuel Idris saw Alexandria crash heavily in game one in Addis Ababa, before Awet Asrat repeated the trick for the Highlanders in game two as they secured a sweep. Three hits, including a home run, from Maheta Massamba took Brazzaville to an 8-4 win in their first game against Tunis, but the Eagles split the series after Yassine Rahuma’s fine pitching display in game two. The week ends with Tripoli a game and a half ahead of Casablanca in the Sahara Division, while Dar es Salaam lead the Central by three and a half from Kampala with both teams in fine form.

The other games this week saw the Western Division clubs travel to face the Southern Division, with Western leaders Accra heading first to Maputo. The Stars overturned an early deficit as Wahab Ekow’s two-run homer in the sixth secured a 6-3 win, and both starter Theophilus Tamakloe and reliever Celestine Boateng were superb in shutting out the Spitting Cobras a day later to seal a two-game sweep. Southern Division leaders Antananarivo also secured a sweep but had to fight hard against Lagos. They had to erase a twelfth inning deficit before taking game one 5-4 on Elias Gharbi’s RBI single in the thirteenth, and then won the second game by the same score when Justin Jean tied the score with a home run in the eighth and came home to score the winning run on a bases loaded walk in the ninth. Lusaka dropped their opener against Niamey as Islam Idrissi’s home run in the eighth gave the Gazelles a 2-1 win, but first inning home runs from Kruger Chikwanda and Anthony Mutapa set up a Rhinos victory in game two to split the series. Johannesburg stunned Abidjan with eight runs on just five hits in the eighth inning of their first game, helped by two errors by the Elephants infield, to set up an 8-2 victory. Abidjan also led in the eighth inning of game two, but a two-run double from Jerome Mthethwa turned it around as the Gold won 3-2.

A bad start from pitcher Aboubacar Maïga cost Bamako their first game in Cape Town, but a three-run double from Bobista Bernardes in the seventh inning of game two ensured the series was split. With many of the Western Division clubs struggling for consistency, the series between Kano and Harare was also split as the Horsemen took the opener thanks to Uche Uwadiegwu’s twelfth inning home run, only to lose the second game heavily as pitcher Abdulaziz Hamad struggled badly. Two home runs from Adela Eboué won the first game in Luanda for Ouagadougou, but that series was also split after Diamonds pitcher Aweys Hersi threw a five-hit shutout in game two. Strugglers Dakar suffered an agonizing defeat in game one in Durban, losing a 2-0 lead in the ninth and then having gone ahead again at 3-2 in the eleventh, falling 4-3 after an error and two wild pitches in the bottom half of that inning. They were also beaten by a single run in the second game, after pitcher Mahmoud Awad struggled in the early innings.

Thursday and Friday brought together the leaders of the Western and Southern Divisions, Accra and Antananarivo, for a two game series and it was the Stars who continued their fine start to the year. They took the opener 5-1 after Seth Bentil’s two-run home run in the first inning set them on their way, and then uncharacteristically poor pitching from Labib Bashir saw Accra score six in the third inning of game two to overturn an early deficit and complete the sweep. That gave Lusaka the chance to close the gap on the Lemurs in the Southern Division if they could get the better of Kano, and a barrage of hits in the middle innings of the first game saw a 4-0 deficit turn into an eventual 11-5 victory. In game two Edwin Chisanga put the Rhinos ahead with an RBI single in the first and then scored on a bases loaded walk, as they edged a tight game 2-1 to move within three games of Antananarivo. Kano’s defeats were helping to increase Accra’s lead in the Western Division, and a 2-1 defeat for Ouagadougou at Cape Town assisted them further, a superb display from pitcher Hosny Khan giving the Sharks the win. Ouagadougou did at least share the series after a home run followed by three successive doubles in the second inning set them on the way to an 8-6 win. A five-run fifth set up a comfortable win for Johannesburg over struggling Dakar in game one of their series, and the Gold completed their second successive sweep when a fast start in game two led them to victory 9-2.

A two-run double from Donald Zama with two outs in the top of the ninth looked to have saved game one for Niamey in Luanda, but the comeback came to nothing in the eleventh when Ndulo Teles’ walk-off hit won it for the Diamonds. Having led 8-3, Niamey almost threw away game two when they gave up three runs in the bottom of the ninth and then two walks from reliever Souleymane Namata loaded the bases with two out, but he recovered to record the final out and ensure the series was shared. Eight magnificent shutout innings from Bernard Bah set Lagos up for a 7-0 win in their opener in Harare, but that series too was shared after a wild pitch and an error in the outfield allowed the Zebras to break a 2-2 tie with two runs in the seventh and win game two 4-2. In Mozambique, Giresse Kouassi’s ninth inning RBI double saw Abidjan win 6-5 at Maputo in game one, but a home run from Jeitoso Mussa and an RBI double from Toto Ranaivo saw the Spitting Cobras score two in the eighth and snatch the second game 3-2 to avoid a sweep. A fine display from pitcher Wandile Newton gave Durban a 3-0 win over Bamako in their opener, and they were able to complete a sweep after Brian Mgijima tied game two with a home run in the ninth and August Fojela won it with a two-run walk-off home run in the tenth.

The weekend games saw Antananarivo entertaining Abidjan and the Southern Division leaders won the opener easily after Elephants pitcher Cédric Meledje struggled badly. Jessy Rabenandrasana, recently returned from the injury he suffered in Spring Training, hit his first home run of the year in game two as the Lemurs took it 6-1 to complete a sweep. Western Division leaders Accra scored regularly early on as they took game one in Harare, but had to settle for a shared series after a two-run single from Francis Chekamondo put the Zebras in control of the second game and they went on to take it 7-4. Lusaka failed to keep pace with Antananarivo in the Southern Division after they were shut down by Panamanian pitcher Warren Favela in an easy opening game win for Lagos, although Brent Kwiliko’s third inning home run did set up a series-tying victory for the Rhinos in Sunday’s encounter. A strong team batting performance and seven shutout innings from pitcher Paul Simon saw Johannesburg ease through their first meeting with Bamako, and despite losing the lead with two outs in the ninth the Gold eventually did complete an undefeated week after a bases loaded hit by pitch won the game in the tenth. That win extended their overall run to eight in a row.

Another South African team in fine form are the Durban Hyenas, whose recovery from a poor start to the year continued with a sweep of Ouagadougou. They led from the first inning of game one after Matshego Molusi’s early two-run homer, before eight strong innings from Bradley Nemukondeni saw them ease to a 4-1 win in game two. Those defeats cost the Stallions sole possession of second place in the Western Division, as they were joined by Niamey despite their opening game loss in Cape Town as a result of Dan Mosiea’s seventh inning RBI double. The Gazelles earned a share of the series after Amine Omar’s second inning home run scored three to turn an early deficit into a 5-4 lead, which eventually became a 10-4 victory. Kano also have a share of second in the West after Alfornce Mativenga’s ninth inning home run set up a 4-3 win in game one in Luanda, but they missed the chance to move second outright when they were beaten 3-2 a day later. Abass Abdoulaye’s two-run home run in the sixth seeing the Diamonds overturn a 2-1 deficit. Struggling Dakar got an excellent start from Emmanuel Ntaganda in winning their first game in Maputo 5-1, but a day later it was Ilidio Parruque who threw seven and two third shutout innings in splitting the series for the Spitting Cobras. The standings now see Accra fully six games clear in the Western Division as nobody else is more than one game over .500, while Antananarivo lead the Southern Division by four from Lusaka.


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