BSL Nights 2020 - Game 6 Recaps

Welcome back folks! 6 weeks in with 1 more regular season week to go. That means we’ve got playoffs coming up! some teams are trending up while others are trending in the wrong direction and with our final week coming up, this was a very important 2 games for everyone. Let’s see how the teams faired on this cool night.

 

Medina @ Cordoba

 

Cordoba was coming off a big win against Medina last Thursday as that team helped identify some gaping holes in Medina’s defense. Medina went back to the drawing board, shook things up and came back with a new look. A lot of the guys brought snacks, hot chocolate and even had a BBQ going for warmth. Team spirit was very high in Medina’s corner this week while Cordoba was missing 3 of their core players and were trying to adjust. With Medina first at bat, Atif Parvaiz was the leadoff man and boy did that pay dividends for Medina on this night. He started off with a nice line drive double to CF and he continued that trend all night, ending with 2 doubles and 3 RBI’s. Medina however would only score 2 runs that inning. Cordoba didn’t do much in the first inning but there was a controversial out called again Zain Malik who thought he should have been walked but was called a strike out. in my opinion and many others, it looked like a walk but you always respect the umps calls. The Action picked up in the 3rd where Medina put up 4 runs stretching the lead to 7-1 but Cordoba’s bat’s started to heat up as their hardest hitters would punish Medina’s defense. Over the next 3 innings Cordoba would put up 16 runs to Medina’s 11, constantly finding the gaps and timely homeruns by the usual suspects. Ahmed Ammad played well as the main threat for Cordoba as he crushed a nice homerun and added a massive double helping his team drive in 4 runs. Zain Khilji, Zain Malik and Hamza Waheed would also add a nice homerun each bringing in a combined 7 RBI’s. This was Hamza Waheed’s first homerun in BSL nights and what beauty it was as it sailed over RCF.  Medina was in trouble and needed to put some runs on the board as their bats were slowing down. Furqan Usman played fantastic at 3B as he robbed Medina twice on a hard hit ball and turned a double play. He looked like one of Cordoba's best fielders on the night.  Medina really needed to their bats rolling. That’s when Imran Qureshi sparked his team as he stepped out to the plate and blasted a very timely 3 run homer. Medina went into the final inning down by 3 runs and that is when their bats started to roll. With their top of the lineup, Atif Parvaiz as usual hit a double and got on base just in time for Hamid Malik to step into a homerun down CF bringing in 2 very important runs. That would help build momentum as Medina put up 6 runs in that inning to go up by 3. Cordoba would have to put up 4 runs to win but this time, Medina wasn’t going to let that happen as they quickly shut the door on Cordoba’s offense when it mattered most and took home that win they so desperately needed.   Medina had some misplays but overall they kept their composure on defense. Most importantly, every single player on Medina played hard and made an effort on both ends. That is what Captains Mo Kala and Hamid Malik have been preaching all year. Rumours have it that Mo Kala was seen smiling throughout the night. sources haven’t been confirmed though. Medina’s chemistry looks like its on the right trajectory as the team looks like they are starting to bond, play for each other and have fun. Cordoba shouldn’t hang their heads as they had 3 very important players missing and almost pulled this one off. Cordoba’s guys played hard and you can tell by the way they rallied back and took the lead for a while. Great overall effort in this game as both sides played hard in the cold weather. Medina Holds off the power house Cordoba to take this one 20-17

 

Game Highlights: 

• Atif Parvez – 3/4, 2 doubles, 3 RBI’s
• Hamid Malik – 4/4, HR, 4 RBI’s, great diving catch on Abdul Butt
• Suleman Mann – 3/3, RBI, excellent catches and great communication
• Omar Chaudhry – 3/4, HR, 3 RBI’s, excellent catches and great chemistry with Mann in LCF/LF
• Jav Ahmed – 1/2, 2 BB’s, 2 RBI’s - Great catches and positioning in RF
• Imran Qureshi – 2/2, BB, HR, 3 RBI’s – Great play at first
• Tanseer Khawaja – RBI, and excellent pitching on a windy night,
• Zain Malik – 4/5, HR, 2 RBI’s – Great play at 1B
• Ahmed Ammad – 5/5, HR, 2B, 4 RBI’s – great fielding
• Hamza Waheed – HR, 3 RBI’s – Excellent pitching on a windy night
• Akif Waheed – 3/4, HR, 3 RBI’s
• Zain Khilji – HR, 2 RBI’s
• Furqan Usman – 3/4, 2 RBI’s - Robbed 2 Medina players and turned a double play with no errors on the night

 

 

Lahore @ Medina

 

Medina was coming off a win and wanted to carry that momentum over to their next game while Lahore was trying to shake off their big loss to Damascus. The first 2 innings were uneventful for Lahore as they put up a combined 0 runs while Medina put up 9 runs including a mercy inning. Lahore bats started to catch fire after the 3rd period when their homerun hitters started to come around. Ismail Kara had 2 monsters homeruns brining in 6 RBI’s along with veteran’s Shamil Khadaroo and Neal Irfan hitting 1 homerun each and brining in a combined 6 RBI’s.  Going to the bottom of the 4th, Lahore was down 10-11 as they smashed their way back into this game. Medina however was having a great day and their bats were waking up when they needed them most as Omar Chaudhry and Suleman Mann both hit 2 dingers each bringing in 7 RBI’s in total. Hamid Malik had a nice line drive triple to RF right on the foul line as that shot brought in 2 runs. The story of Medina’s day however came from the bottom of the lineup. Fawad Shaikh and Umair Ashraf have been working very hard and both of them connected a on a homerun tonight bringing in 6 RBI’s. Fawad was inching closer by the day and it was only a matter of time before he banged one out of the field. His team lost it as they were genuinely excited to see him accomplish that in front of his kids who come out every Thursday and help us track down the homerun balls. Excellent work team Shaikh! Umair went a perfect 3 for 3 and had a nice shot down LCF as he finally got that monkey off his back. Lahore’s issue was mainly their defense as their bats were looking good and Medina’s defense was also much better. Their outfield is looking solid as centerfielders Suleman Mann and Hamid Malik have locked that section down. Jay Ahmed and Omar Chaudhry were impressive and made some big plays down the stretch to help Medina’s outfield while Sunny Abdul Murad held it down at SS and played well throughout the night going 2/3 and 2RBI’s. Tanseer Khawaja controlled the mound well and was seen coaching our players every step of the way. His presence has been a game changer for all of team Medina including the new guys. Lahore has some cleaning up to do as they had some mental errors while base running and couldn’t capitalize on key opportunities to bring in more runs. This game could’ve/should’ve been much closer. The absence of Nirvaan Latif was felt by everyone (even players in the other fields), as his leadership and communication is key to Lahore’s success. Looks like Lahore is going through what Medina went through last week. sometimes teams will fly very high and other times it’ll feel like rock bottom. That’s the way competitive sports go. Lahore cant hang their heads as they are too good a team for that. If guys start playing a bit harder on defense, that’ll change everything as defense leads to momentum, and momentum leads to offense. Captains Aftab Sheikh and Amir Khalil have some things to talk about but inshallah, they will turn things around with the help of their team mates and get ready for an epic playoff battle. Medina takes this one 20-14

 

Game Highlights: 

• Atif Parvez – 2/4, RBI
• Hamid Malik – 3B, 2 RBI’s, great positioning in the outfield
• Suleman Mann – 2/3, 2HR, 3 RBI’s, Amazing diving catch and great composure all night
• Omar Chaudhry – 3/3, 2HR, 2B, 4 RBI’s, Great communication in the outfield and best wardrobe. He kept coming out with an extra piece of clothing every inning including a toque
• Abdul Murad – 2/3, 2B, 2 RBI’s, great play at SS
• Fawad Shaikh – HR, 4 RBIS’s – First HR of his career
• Umari Ashraf – 3/3, HR, 2 RBI’s  – First HR of his career
• Ismail Kara – 4/5, 2HR, 6 RBI’s - Both Massive Homeruns
• Shamil Khadaroo – 2/3, HR, 3 RBI’s
• Neal Irfan – HR, 3 RBI’s
• Amir Khalil – 3/4, RBI
• Omar Khattab – 2/3, excellent catches in the outfield

 

Damascus @ Lahore

Week 6 started off with Lahore hosting Damascus.  Lahore was playing without their seasoned veteran leader Nirvaan Latif, but still boasted enough fire power to come out with a win. Damascus on the other hand were dealt a bad blow earlier in the day, as Hasan Afzal was injured playing soccer and would miss the game.  Lahore wasted no time in this one and put up a 5 spot after 1 and were up 5-1 after some timely hitting from Amir Khalil (who went 3-4) and Ismail Kara (who went 2-2 with a SF).  Unfortunately, this was pretty much all they would get as Damascus put the foot to the pedal and didn’t relent at all.  Scoring 6, 4 & 7 in the following 3 innings, DMC held a comfortable 18-7 lead heading into the 6th.  With the RD under 15, DMC kept going, and put up a 9 spot in the 6th to record the largest margin of victory in BSL Nights this year at 20.  As always, GM Safwan Khan led the way with 6 RBI’s, while Hassan Chaudhry (making his return after missing the past 2 weeks), hit a perfect 3-3 and drove in 6 of his own.  Another returning playing, Aftab Khan who missed the past 3 weeks, returned with a boom, driving in 3.  On this night, DMC could do no wrong, and everyone hit, while Abbas Allidina (who took the mound in the absence of starting P Salman Ahmad) was stellar.  Allowing only 5 ER, DMC can take comfort in knowing they have not 1 but 2 quality starting pitchers.

• Amir Khalil going 3-4 and coming home twice;
• Ismail Kara batted a perfect 2-2;
• Safwan Khan & Hassan Chaudhry drove in a combined 12 runs on 6 hits and 2 HR’s;
• Farooq Sani continues his hot batting, going 4-5;
• Shane Worthington hitting yet another HR (that’s 3 off Doc this year) and driving in 4;
• Aftab Khan driving in 3 after missing the past 3 weeks;
• Abbas Allidina pitching a gem, allowing only 5 runs;

 

Cordoba @ Damascus

In game 2 on Field 2, a shorthanded Cordoba was taking on a red-hot Damascus.  Cordoba was coming off a loss but made a furious comeback and were feeling good, while Damascus was coming off the largest margin of victory and were equally feeling great.  Unfortunately for Cordoba, they were missing too many top talent and players were playing at positions they never played at or were comfortable.   Damascus was able to shut down Cordoba’s bats through 3 innings, as Abbas Allidina continued his pitching wizardry, from game 1.  On the flip side, DMC were hitting and were also getting some lucky bounces from players not playing at their regular positions.  Leading the charge was Farooq Sani, going a perfect 4-4 and driving in 2.  On this night, majority of DMC players were driving runs in one way or another, with Hatf Sohail & Safwan Khan driving in 3 each, and Riyad Ramjaun, Imran Merchant, Abbas Allidina driving in 2 apiece.  In the 5th inning, Cordoba bats began to click, and were able to drive in some runs and put up a mercy inning.  Commissioner Akif Waheed was trying his best to make up for the absent players, going a perfect 3-3 with 2 big doubles and driving in 2, while Zain Malik went 2-3 and drove in 2 himself.  Unfortunately, Cordoba was too short handed and although put up a great fight (they actually outhit DMC in this game), could not cut into the deficit anymore and DMC won 17-9.  With 2 big wins (and by large RD’s), Damascus has essentially wrapped up 1st place, but as they know all too well, it means nothing to finish in 1st place, and all that really matters is momentum going into the playoffs.  Cordoba will look to move up to 2nd place heading into the last week and are hoping their big bats will stop vacationing and return as soon as possible.

• Zain Malik going 2-3 and driving in 2;
• Akif Waheed with 2 big doubles, batting a perfect 3-3;
• Furqan Usman batted 2-3 and drive in a run;
• Hatf Sohail & Safwan Khan driving in 3 each;
• Riyad Ramjaun, Imran Merchant, Abbas Allidina driving in 2 apiece;
• Farooq Sani hitting a perfect 4-4;