BSL Nights 2021 - Week 5 Recaps
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It’s a beautiful day at Birchwood 1 and two of the top teams in BSL nights are going at it in a double header. Both teams coming in hot, Jerusalem has won 3 in a row and Baghdad riding a 4 game winning streak after losing the first 4 games of the season.
Game 1 was a rollercoaster all the way until Jerusalem closed it in the bottom of the 6th inning. The game started with Zain Malik being robbed by Umair Sheikh at 3B as he tried to drill a liner over his head. After that Jerusalem was in control. Baghdad played a stellar defensive game with 0 errors on the field but couldn’t match the offensive power Jerusalem brought in that day. Baghdad had only 18 hits on 41 AB for the game and hit only 0.200 H/RISP. Jerusalem however came out to play, after making defensive adjustments 3 games ago the team is firing on all cylinders. Hatf Sohail and Abdul Manjra both went 4-4 while the big hitters Imran Merchant, PG and Umair Sheikh combined 6-9, 4HR and 12 RBI. Neal Irfan slowly becoming a stud in the OF making some great catches. Jerusalem seems satisfied with 1 win, but wants to add to the total in game 2 while Baghdad look to win game 2 and call it a split for the day.
Final Score: Baghdad 10 vs Jerusalem 17
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Game 2 between Jerusalem and Baghdad was just a continuation from the end of game 1. Jerusalem came out strong and scored 9 runs in the first 2 innings and had a commanding 13-3 lead by the end of the 4th inning. Hatf Sohail and Abdul Manjra continued to pour in hits going 7-8 combined. A great hitting game all around for Jerusalem who managed to score 15 runs without hitting a homerun. For Baghdad it was all going downhill. The team made a total of 5 errors in the game and got only 2 hits from the bottom 6 on the batting order. Tash Samadzadeh went 3-3 with a HR, 2B and 3 RBI, outside of that the batting lineup was flat. A pitching change was required in the game, Nirvaan Latif had trouble finding the plate and Noor Zia stepped in as reliever. Although he got the pitching back in line, Jerusalem didn’t let up and continued to pour in runs.
With only 6 games remaining now in the season, Jerusalem gets a huge boost with 2 wins and Baghdad drops to 6th in the standings. Both teams have crucial matchups next week with Jerusalem facing Cordoba who is on their heels and Lahore. Meanwhile Baghdad goes up against Cairo and Istanbul who are all fighting to stay in the playoff picture.
Final Score: Jerusalem 15 vs Baghdad 5
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Lahore stared this week shorthanded, fielding only 3 outfielders and Istanbul was looking to capitalize. Unfortunately for the boys in red, they put up goose eggs in the first 2 innings, with great plays in the outfield by a surprise gold glove candidate in Fawad Shaikh. Meanwhile, Lahore put up 3 runs and were up 2 innings in. By the 3rd inning, Istanbul finally woke up and took advantage of the shorthanded OF and put up a mercy inning, scoring 7 off the backs of Taqi Ahmed and Zain Khilji, hitting big doubles and allowing the team to take the lead. With momentum on their side, Istanbul felt great going into the bottom half, however, Lahore would not go down without a fight. Omar Khattab hit 2 homeruns on the night and brought in 3 runs, and Lahore would score 6, re-taking the lead.
With Ali Chaudhry pitching as well as anyone could ask for, he was able to shut Istanbul down for another inning, but the question would be could he do it one more inning to close out the game? Down 3, Istanbul went into the final inning and were able to put up 3 big runs, with Kashif Waheed bringing in 2 himself. With the game tied at 10, time ended and and the umpire called the game. This should be counted as a win for Lahore wince they played the entire game with a backup pitcher and only 3 outfielders’ while Istanbul could not take advantage of the situation; however, earning an important point for both teams could be useful when determining final standings come end of the year.
Final Score: Istanbul 10 Lahore 10
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Lahore vs Damascus met for the third time, and for the third time, Lahore came out with a victory. The player of the game goes to Ali Chaudhary, who looked like Shohei Ohtani out there, by pitching a gem and also doing it with the bat, by knocking out dingers. Ali's pitching prowess kept the Damascus bats cool enough. While it was a close game until the sixth inning, Lahore managed to break it open courtesy of a grand salaami by Waseem Kala (make sure to check out Kala law firm for all your general contract needs).
On the positive side, Omar Khattab did normal Omar Khattab things by slugging another one over the fence. Aazar Zafar also smacked three hits, made nice snags, and had a conference call in between innings (the brother can do it all). It was an all around great team effort by team Lahore. GM Aftab Sheikh should be feeling confident after his team's drubbing of Damascus, securing two much needed points.
For Damascus, the positive is two things. First, the team committed zero errors, suggesting that either the scorekeeper was generous or Damascus had a good defensive effort – this writer thinks it’s the latter. Second, and most important, they got back their sluggers, AK and Omer Chaudhary. Scoring 7 runs was the most they have scored in 2-3 weeks. We predict Damascus to be more competitive going forward so long as they can keep their team healthy and guys come out to the game ready. Shout out to Zahid P. who keeps getting better at the mound.
Final Score: Lahore 14 Damascus 7
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After what seemed liked a close game against Lahore only to have to break wide open, Damascus would ride their 7 game winless streak into a matchup with the Bulls. With only 7 games remaining in the season, the fate of Damascus was on the line. The boys in blue have been written off by most of the league at this point so if there was anything to prove the time was now with their playoffs chances dwindling away.
Instead of folding, Damascus came in with intensity right from the first at bat. Leadoff and ROY candidate Zahid Panchbhaya had a day at the plate and the mound and was doing it all to get his team a much needed W. Damascus bats finally showed up to go along with their stable defense as they would go up 9-1 in the first 3 innings. Istanbul started showing life in the bottom of the 3rd and would put up 5 runs to make it a game w/ their top and middle doing damage and multi hit games from Baseer, Ismail, Zain, the Ahmed's & the Waheed's.
But that's as close as it would get as Damascus continued to hit great and their big bats did damage with Safwan batting in a season high 7 RBI's to go with Omer 'Payne' Chaudhry's 5 RBI's and perfect 3/3 day with 2 bombs. Hassaan 'Yogi Berra' Khan also broke out of his slump and had a great game going 3/4 w/ a rbi.
Istanbul stays in the middle of the pack and can't seem to put a string of W's together as the team seemingly is still trying to figure out a consistent batter order and defensive positions. GM Taqi will look to get his squad on the right track as they approach playoff time. But the story here is the boys in blue. Thought to be down and out for the count they got a much needed victory and hope to ride the momentum into next week where they face the juggernauts of Medina. 1st place vs last place. Do or die still in effect, will Damascus be ready for the challenge or will their season slip away. Only way to find is to stay tuned...
Final Score: Damascus 17 Istanbul 9
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Cordoba snakes came out swinging in this game in a battle to prove that they can hang with the big boys. The once highly thought of Medina badgers on the other hand were not able to string together meaningful hits to contribute to any strong inning. At the end cordoba kept on contributing base hit after base hit, add that to two Bilal Javed home runs and it is easy to see why this game went out of reach for the badgers. Medina, once considered the top team in the league has shown that they too have weaknesses. Are other teams finally starting to target those weaknesses? Or is team Medina starting to get complacent? Whatever the reason may be, with the seasons final act starting, this isnt the time to lose your mojo. Medina will need to figure it out fast!
Final Score: Cordoba 17 Medina 11
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Cairo camels, after playing their hearts out in the game prior, fell short in this one. This was a classic case of losing a close game that should have contributed to the win column, but instead losing in a heart break fashion and thus leading to a distraught team. Spectators could see the fog over the heads of team Cairo a mile away while entering this game. This translated onto the scoreboard as the team combined for a total of only 6 runs! Suleman Mann from medina, himself scored 5! On the other hand Medina, after being served another loss, was looking for blood and boy did they not hold back. Smacking 18 runs and shutting down all offensive opposition, this game was just about over before it even began. Cairo really needs to get back to the drawing board or they must just miss their ticket to the playoffs. With only a few weeks aways, this isn't the time to put your head down. Full speed ahead and go down fighting or miss the playoffs, Cairo needs to decide which side they want to be on.
Final Score: Medina 18 Cairo 6
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This game was a sight to watch as both teams came out fighting. Every inning was a battle of attrition as the runs kept piling on for both teams. You could just see that who ever let off the gas first in this one was going to lose, and unfortunately for Cairo after a superb showing allowing 7 runs in the bottom of the 5th. This proved too much for Cairo who did not register a single run in the top of the final inning. You could tell Cairo started to feel the pressure of missing the playoffs in this one, and gave their heart and soul in this one. Cordoba on the other hand, started believing that they are in fact the top team in BSL NIGHTS, returning to the franchises prior glory (Simba remember who you are) and proved why this franchise should never be slept on.
Final Score: Cairo 16 Cordoba 23