Week 4 Lighthouse League

What's up Lighthousers!

I want to apologize up front for the briefness of this post - I bet my iPad that the Bruins beat the Canadiens in six.... and the rest of the story you can piece together yourself. For some reason, public libraries are packed in the morning and I had to wait to get an open computer. Regardless, persistence prevailed. No recaps this week because my teammates decided to make 3 gallons of mojitos and I can't remember my own game, let alone the others, and much to my surprise, no one sent in a recap of their game. So in lieu of the recaps, I thought this would be an appropriate time to update the power rankings.

Power Rankings

#1 (1) - S3XT Panthers - This may come as a shock to many people, given the fact that the Tinderellas have yet to lose a game and sport the best record in the league, but they have yet to play either of the Panther teams, and to be the best you must beat the best.  

#2 (2) - Tinderellas - They've been consistent all year and have yet to let up one run. If they can continue this in the upcoming weeks when they play several of the higher teams, expect them to be the team to beat come playoffs.

#3 (1) - Ex Panthers - After a slip-up in week one, the Ex Panthers have been on point. They ran the Misfits out of the building and then went on to rally against their former squad to walk away with a tie. They'll be a tough match-up for anyone in the weeks to follow.

#4 (4) - Swamp Donkeys - They've quietly found themselves with two straight victories, after a tough loss against the Tinderellas in week one during the hurricane. They have some momentum now and could be poised to climb in the rankings if they can knock off those above them.

#5 (6) - Ball Busters - The relative newcomers to the league have shown some heart over the past few weeks. They play some fairly solid defense and can put some runs on the board in a hurry, but their lack of experience is still a real concern.

#6 (5) - We've Got The Runs - If I were to do the power rankings after the first week, WGTRs would have been near the top, as they lit up the score board with 11 runs. Since then, there's been a much clearer picture of who this team really is, which is why they land in the #6 spot.

#7 (2) - Misfits - One would expect this team to be better but they have yet to live up to their lofty expectations. This may turn out to be a great example of when crossfit training does not translate to kickball wins, which I suppose should surprise no one.

#8 (3) - We Only Come From Behind - This one comes as a surprise to me, given the history of this team. They have underperformed all season long and look like a shell of their former self. 

And onto the predictions:

Tinderellas vs Ex Panthers

The Tinderellas have sprinted out of the gates this season with a 3-0 record, but many experts have argued that they haven't played the top tier teams. They will get their chance this week to put the league on notice, but they run into an Ex Panthers team that is carrying a lot of momentum following an impressive 3-3 tie against the S3XT Panthers. It was not the tie that was impressive but rather the way they rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the last inning to walk away with a split decision. Several Ex Panthers are game-time decisions which makes me lean towards the Tinderellas continuing their undefeated run. If both teams were 100% healthy I may have went the opposite direction, but I have the Tinderellas winning 4-3 in a close one.

S3XT Panthers vs We've Got The Runs

After a disappointing tie last week, the S3XT Panthers are looking to rebound against We've Got The Runs, and the scenario couldn't look better. After an explosive first week, WGTRs have dropped the last two and have not lived up to their name, as they have managed only two runs total in the last two weeks. WGTRs will need to figure out how to put some runs on the board if they are looking to stand a chance against the S3XT Panthers, who will be more focused than ever after last week. I see the S3XT Panthers taking this one, 4-0.

Ball Busters vs Swamp Donkeys

The Donkeys looked stellar last week in their 5-0 victory against their long-time rivals WOCFB. They have quietly gained sole possession of third place and are showing no indication of slowing down. The Donkeys meet some stiff competition with the Ball Busters this week, who rallied late last week to walk away with a tie against a surprisingly tough Misfits team. The newcomers have showed they belong in the league and currently sit fourth in the standings but I think they will be overmatched tonight against the Swamp Donkeys. Swamp Donkeys win, 5-1.

Misfits vs We Only Come From Behind

Classic battle at the bottom. Both teams are desperately searching for their first W of the season. The Misfits seemed to be well on their way last week to their first victory but blew a late game lead and walked away with a tie. WOCFB made it interesting last week against the Donkeys but came up short once again. WOCFB is sporting a league-low -17 run differential, only pushing three total runs across the plate in their first three games while letting up a total 20. They will need to figure things out quickly if they want to walk away with the W this week, but unfortunately, I don't see the pieces coming together. Misfits get their first win of the season, 4-2.

That's all for this week folks. I know how difficult it is to write up a quick recap of your game each week... I really do. It's hard to get motivated to write a few sentences without some incentives. So here's your incentive - I will be offering one free pitcher to the team that provides the first written recap of the game next week. You need to send it to mainegmot@gmail.com for it to count. 

See you all on the field.

-GSPOT-