For the remainder of the season I am going to shift away from the Games of the Week format a bit to instead focus on the pennant races and share some highlights from the week that impact on that.
SJL:
First, the standings at the end of Week 22:
As you see, two of the more storied franchises of the SJL- the Columbus Whalers and the Jacksonville Wolf Pack- end the week tied for first place. But we also see the surprising upstart Pittsburgh Roadrunners right there at just 1/2 game back. While the SJL remains more competitive than the MGL, a few teams see their chances slipping away: the Washington Night Train, Philadelphia Mud Hens, and San Antonio Keys. Others, like the Milwaukee Cadets and Boston Berserkers remain hopeful that they can still get into the hunt for the pennant, though time is growing short and they will need a lot of help.
A midweek series between Pittsburgh and Washington was particularly impactful as the Roadrunners swept the Night Train, including winning the final two games by just a single run each and scoring a walk-off win in the 11th inning of game 3. They then followed up that by demolishing the San Antonio Keys 24-1 to end the week.
MGL:
Standings:
The Brewers had a great week while the Spinners sputtered a bit and Denver ends the week with a 1 1/2 game lead in the MGL. Third place Brooklyn sees any hopes for this year pretty much vanish as they fall to 12 games back. Four teams in the MGL end the week mathematically eliminated from contention: the Phoenix Speed Devils, Charlotte Sting, Portland Wild Things, and Detroit Falcons.
There is really very little else to say about the MGL where it all comes down, as it so often does, to Denver and L.A. battling it out for supremacy.