BSL Nights 2021 - Week 7 Recaps
Istanbul vs Cordoba
Week 7 kicked off with a big double header at Birchwood pitting the sliding Bulls vs. the surging Cobras, as Istanbul squared off against Cordoba. The game started off very close as the Bulls put up a 3 spot in the top of the 1st while Cordoba countered with 5 runs of their own in the bottom half. Cordoba kept their foot on the gas courtesy of yet another homerun by Bilal Javed and by the end of the 2nd inning, Cordoba now had a comfortable 9-3 lead.
Although Taqi Ahmed has been a solid replacement pitcher this year, the boys in red got their ace back and Riyad Ramjaun entered the game shortly after Taqi started and attempted to stop the bleeding. Although both teams looked rough defensively (combined 8 errors in this game alone), the game was still within reach for Istanbul to make a comeback, as they tacked on another 2 runs from some great hitting by Asad Ahmed, going 3-4. In the bottom half of the 6th, with the bases loaded and 2 out, Jibran Khan stepped up to the plate and hit one of the biggest hits of his career and belted a monster Grand Slam to restore Cordoba’s comfortable lead at 14-5. In the top half of the open inning, Istanbul’s bats finally came to life, as Ismail Kara hit his 2nd homerun of the night, while Umair Ali hit a homerun himself. With the never say die attitude of Istanbul, they poured in 7 runs in the open inning, however, came within 2 runs short and dropped the game. Cordoba escapes with their 6th straight victory and continuously prove to all the naysayers that they are a force to reckon with. On the flip side, Istanbul needs to clean up their defense as they allowed 14 runs while starting pitcher Riyad only allowed 5 of those runs as earned.
Final Score: Istanbul 12 vs Cordoba 14
Cordoba vs Istanbul
Both teams came on the field hot and pumped from the first match, which by the way was a close call. The Istanbul Gazelles went up to bat first and put up a hefty 5 runs in the first innings. I guess the Cobras were a little worn down from the first match and didn’t really put up much of a fight in the first inning, they managed to put up 2 runs against the Gazelles. After that the gazelles lost momentum of the game and couldn’t really put up any solid runs.
The Istanbul Gazelles had solid defense and were pretty much used to the cobras hitting spots from the first match. All the Gazelles managed to register a hit on the team. There were some errors made in fielding by the Cobras which let the gazelles run freely around the bases. The Cobras tried to come back in the other innings but just were not capitalizing on anything until the Cobra commander (Bilal Javed) raised the team spirit by getting a HR on the board and catching up to the Gazelles.
There were some errors made in the fielding by the Gazelles that might have cost them a lot of runs. But over all they had superb hits throughout the game. Great hits from Ismail Kara, Baseer Yassen, Emad Ahmed, Umair, Taqi, and Zain Khiliji who managed to get the runs in for the Gazelles.
The Cobras turned around in the 6th inning by putting up 4 runs to 0 against the Gazelles. Excellent batting by the team by getting on bases and keeping the game interesting. Excellent hitting by Hassan Chaudry, Bilal Malik, Usama, Jibran and the whole team. The Gazelles tried to put up a fight and were really close to winning as well but the last inning just turned the whole game around. The whole game rested on Zain Khilji's shoulders in the last player on 2 strikes on the last inning of the game (Talk about Pressure! ) There was pin drop silence from both teams and as soon as the ball hit the plate on the third strike, it was over and the Cobras slithered through with registering another W under their belts. This still keeps them at second place in the league and drops the Gazelles to 5th spot on the charts.
Great Games Lads! It keeps getting interesting every week as anything can happen in this season. It looks like a nail bitter till the playoffs, that all for now folks! Till next time, Allah Hafiz.
Final Score: Cordoba 12 vs Istanbul 11
Lahore vs Medina
Lahore came out roaring with the playoff seedings coming right down the wire. They opened the game with 6 runs in the first inning led by hits from everyone at the top of the order. Omar Kattab would have a homerun in the inning, and in the very next inning W K would hit a solo homerun to put them up 7-0.
Medina who has been right at the top of the standings for much of the season saw this one slipping away. With some sort of boost required, Ahmed Ammad would get things started with a home run in a 4-run inning in the fourth to cut the lead down to 7-5. Medina’s defense really tightened up only allowing 1 run in the last 5 innings and cued the comeback heading into the open inning with the score at 8-7.
Tanseer Khawaja would help his own cause with a timely RBI to even things up, setting the stage for a “Crazy” finish. Ahmed Ammad would step up to the plate and secure the walk off running hit. Medina gets back into the win column with a 9-8 win over Lahore. Lahore was missing some key players, and put on a great effort to keep this one very close right until the very end.
Final Score: Lahore 8 Medina 9
Baghdad vs Lahore
Baghdad came into this game losing a close one to Cairo while Lahore was desperate to pick up points as the post season race continues to get tighter. This week was absolutely crucial for both teams as falling 2 games this week could put them in a potential do or die situation in the final week.
The game started off close with some good hits as the heart of Baghdads lineup was feeling good. Noor Zia started them off with a solo HR while Hamid Malik brought in Tash/Aslam for a quick 3 run inning. Lahore put up 3 quick runs in the early innings but for the most part didn't do much in the middle innings. Baghdad really started to pull away in the 4th inning as they put up 5 big runs bringing the score to 11-3. Everyone on Baghdad was hitting well but the story of the night was Shahaan Khan who went a perfect 4 of 4 and consistently brought up the top of the order. His energy alone was so contagious and as a result had everyone fired up. Baghdad ended up with 19 runs on the night. Lahore did start to pick up some form of momentum near the end of the game thanks to a pair of WK/Ali Chaudhry homeruns who both had 2 on the night but Baghdad would close this game off with some nifty glove work from their pitcher Nirvaan. Some fantastic hits as Tash, Thaya, Noor, Aslam, Shahaan and Hamid combined for 22 of the teams 27 hits, 16 RBI's and 4 HR's. WK and Ali Chaudhry were pretty much all the offense for Lahore as they combined for 8 of the teams 10 points. Baghdad took this with ease to a score of 19 to 10.
This moves Baghdad up to 12 points and into the playoffs while Lahore ends their day losing both games. This puts them in last place but will have an opportunity to fight for their playoff lives in a do or die week against Cairo. Will Lahore be able to pull it together and show up against Cairo? We'll find out on Wednesday!! Good luck to both teams!!
Final Score: Baghdad 19 Lahore 10
Medina vs Baghdad
Baghdad came out in full force with this one. Chipping away with runs in the first 3 innings, they put up a 4-0 lead by the third inning. The defense for Baghdad was on full display with Noor Zia leading a couple double plays to cut any rally short for Medina. Nirvaan Latif was really giving Medina his best stuff, with several innings being 3 up, 3 down.
For 5 innings, and the first time this season, Medina was held scoreless. The bats were just cold, and there were whispers that the six-box order of Domino’s pizza would be reason they lost this game. But then it happened. The BSL Nights turning point. With a hard-hit grounder to short stop, Zahid Merchant tried to make a play but the ball went off his shin. The ball bounced into the air, and was grabbed bare handed by rookie sensation Shoaib Rangrez, who instantly whipped it to first to get the third out of 5th inning. The video has been making the rounds and is a serious contender for play of the season.
The momentum shift was felt into the dugout going into the sixth inning for Medina. They would put up 6 runs to take the lead led by Mohamed Kala and Akif Waheed. They would put another 3 up in the open inning to take the 9-4 lead heading to the bottom.
Tanseer Khawaja has been nothing but solid this season for Medina, and his final inning was a masterpiece securing the win. After starting with a 4-0 lead in the game, Medina shut out Baghdad in the final 4 innings to take another game once again from behind. As the lights shut off at Birchwood, Medina was at the top of the standings heading into the final week.
Final Score: Medina 9 Baghdad 4
Damascus vs Jerusalem
A beautiful day at Mississauga Valley’s and you had Jerusalem vs. Damascus slated for 6:30pm. Jerusalem who needs wins to continue and fight for the top 2 spots and get a bye, meanwhile Damascus finally getting their groove together and sitting in a playoff spot if things finished off today. Damascus was playing without RA Superstar Yasser Malik who had more important things to do, leaving the boys in blue with only 3 OF's for the game. Jerusalem came right out the gate with a 4-0 lead after 2 innings. Damascus fought back in the 3rd inning with 3 runs of their own and actually took the lead 5-4 after the top of the 4th inning. At that moment Umair Sheikh took a page out of Space Jam and went inside Paygham Whahedi (PG) body and stole his talents. Umair Sheikh belted 2HR and 6 RBI for the game and Jerusalem scored 9 runs in the bottom of the 4th to put the game out of reach. Omer Chaudhry continues to dominate going 3-4, HR and 3 RBI while Safwan Khan also hit a dinger. Rest of the Damascus squad continues to struggle with the bat going 9-24 as a team. Damascus is now in a though spot with a must win game with Cairo at 9:30, while Jerusalem gets another win and looks forward to feasting on Cario at 8:00pm and aim to finish 1st overall.
Final Score: Damascus 6 Jerusalem 11
Jerusalem vs Cairo
The middle game at the valleys featured Jerusalem, looking to threaten for a first round bye in the playoffs, vs. Cairo, who are looking to just make the playoffs. Cairo once again began the game short handed and were fielding first with only 3 outfielders. Jerusalem were able to take full advantage putting up a 6 spot and nearly had a mercy inning leaving the 7th run at third base. Cairo was able to chip away putting up runs in the first three innings but Jerusalem still lead 8-5 heading into the top of the fourth. That's when with the bases juiced Paygham (PG) Whahedi stepped up and hit his 2nd homer of the game a grand slam to break things open. Cairo had an opportunity in the bottom of the inning to respond when they loaded the bases with zero outs. That's when a series of base running gaffes after a pop up by Furqan Usman lead to a rare triple play ending a potentially dangerous inning and extinguishing any hopes of a comeback. Jerusalem would take this one final score 16-6. PG once again looked automatic at the plate hitting 2 massive homeruns. Jerusalem as a team had 10 of their 11 players with hits on this day, and played a complete team game. For Cairo, this loss places them on the brink of being eliminated from the playoffs and they will need their entire team to show up (on time) next week in a do or die against Lahore.
Final Score: Jerusalem 16 Cairo 6
Cairo vs Damascus
After taking L's from the same team earlier on the night, Cairo & Damascus were ready to square off in this penultimate matchup. This was a must win for both teams as the winner would sit in a playoff spot while the loser would find themselves in the bottom 2 of the standings.
Cairo came out ready to play...or so it seemed...as they started off the game hot and put up 3 runs courtesy of a Yousaf Chaudhry 2 run dinger and Hassan Afzal rbi. Damascus would keep their heads up and decide to go on a mission from here on out, knowing what this game meant to them, they would play their hearts out the rest of the way. With a balanced attack and contributions from every part of their lineup, the boys in blue would go on to put up 15 straight runs over the next 6 innings while shutting down Cairo the rest of the way. 3-0 Cairo lead would become 15-3 Damascus win. This game was a team effort, as guys not named Omer Chaudhry & Safwan Khan on the team would be the ones with extra base hits as Zahid P, Ali & Jav all had 2B. The aforementioned Ali though would have take the POTG honors as he also drove in his first HR of the year and brought in a season high 5 RBI's on the night.
Cairo was missing key pieces in their lineups, and know they could do better. But they find themselves in 7th place going into the final week where they'll face 8th seed Lahore TWICE in the must watch games of the season. The winner secures a playoff birth while the loser goes fishin'. BW1 Wednesday...see you there!
Damascus, continues to come out with points and have climbed well out of the basement they were in and find themselves in 6th, with an opportunity to move up as high as 4th. They get their big bat back in AK next week and hope to continue their stellar play, having gone 3-1-1 in their last five.
Final Score: Cairo 3 Damascus 15