After another exciting week of action, there are no more undefeated teams left in the Dirt Mountain League! There are also no more winless teams, and it seems like every team is in contention.

RK Possums (1-2) vs. KK Wolf Spiders (3-0)

All good things must eventually come to an end. This was the case for defending champ’s undefeated streak to start the season. After three weeks of dominance, the Wolf Spiders were bested by the Possums. In a week with good pitching, Rick’s squad was a step above the rest of the league. He had the lowest ERA in the league by a wide margin. This was paired with second most innings pitched in the league, making the feat that much more impressive. Sonny Gray led the way with 13.0 IP and 15 strikeouts and only one earned run. Kyle also had great pitching, and would have beaten most other teams. Zac Gallen even had 12 strikeouts in just 6.1 IP. This kept Kyle competitive, but Rick led 3-2.

The Possums sealed their victory with a good offensive showing. They led the league in runs, HR, and OPS. They were near the top in steals and were second in RBI to the Wolf Spiders. Byron Buxton led the with with four home runs and 10 RBI. Kyle enjoyed a nice week from Brent Rooker, but the Possums proved too strong. The victory raises their record to 2-2 and drops the Wolf Spiders to 3-1.

CP Legion (0-3) vs. CM Skyline Sluggers (1-2)

After a difficult start to the year, the Legion finally managed their first victory over the Skyline Sluggers. Both teams have struggled on the pitching side to start the year, and are the only two teams with aggregate year ERAs over 4.00. Their WHIP numbers are also near the bottom of the pack. However, when paired against each other, the teams are on equal footing. Neither team put up great pitching stats, but the Legion were able to get just a bit more from their starters and releivers. They finished with good WHIP and ERA numbers. Chris also managed a pair of saves. Charlie got a lot of IP and strikeouts, which is a positive sign, but the team’s abysmal rate stats doomed them to a 2-3 disadvantage.

Both teams had reasons for optimison on offense. Chris had good home runa and RBI totals led by a Cody Belliner and Jeremy Pean’s two home runs each in limited playing time. Charlie was able to win steals behind an amazing week from Shohei Ohtani. He posted two home runs, three runs, four RBI, and an incredible four steals. Unfortunately for the Skyline Sluggers, teh rest of the team didn’t rise to the ocassion. Chris was comfortably for the week and finally has his first win.

JK Hares (2-1) vs. LK Armadillos (2-1)

The Hares and Armadillos continued the league’s pattern of good pitching and merely adequate offense. Neither tam could gain traction hitting. The Hares won home runs and RBIs comfortably, but were not competitive in steals. The Armadillos somehow managed 29 RBI on just 4 home runs, and an OPS that was near the bottom of the league for the week.

On the pitching side things were more interesting. Dylan Cease spoiled a fantastic week for the Hares pitching with a disastrous outing, essentially cancelling-out a near no-hitter from Spencer Strider. The Armadillos suffered a miserable week from Johan Oviedo and Chris Bassit. The Armadillos sent a message by immediately cutting the player affectionaly known as the “Bassit Hound” from their roster. We can only hope that he was sent to a no-kill shelter, or that some other team will adopt him before he takes that cold, lonely walk to the back, from which no dogs ever return.

Despite two saves on Sunday, the Hares were denied a tie by a comback win/save from the Padres’ Josh Hader. After a frustrating week of rainouts, Jeff feels like he deserved a better fate than 5-4-1 loss. The Armadillos will take the win, but must improve their pitching to compete with the 3-1 Wolf Spiders.

KG Capital City Goofballs (1-2) vs. HP PhoeGnomes (2-1)

The week’s final match saw Kevin’s Goofballs right the ship against the PhoeGnomes. Kevin had the second most well-rounded week behind the Possums with good hitting and pitching! The Goofballs had a series of solid starts from seven different players, showing great depth. No one had an individual monster performance, but the group had excellent consistency up and down the rotation. Carlos Estevez and Devin Willaims combined to add five saves. For her part, Heather relied on a series of good strikeout performances. Nestor Cortes and Kevin Gausman totalled 26 in three starts! Cortes had a strange week, giving up 10 earned runs, 7 of which came in his second start. This doomed Heather’s chances to win ERA, but he managed enough strikeouts and IP to give the PhoeGnomes the edge in two categories.

Despite the weird pitching results, Heather was not able to mount a charge on offense. The squad suffered though a down week from Bobby Witt Jur, who was just 4/26. Vladimir Guerrero Jr was only 5/25 with no home runs. When your two superstars have weeks like this, it will be hard to compete. Kevin deployed a whopping 19 players en route to a solid showing across all categories. Kevin wasn’t at the top of the league in any one category, but showed excelleng consistency. Ozzie Albies was probably the best Goofball hitter for the week with a nice 5/17, two home run week.

After a hot start, the PhoeGnomes are now back at .500 with most of the rest of the league. The Goofballs are also even for the year, and can take pride in a solid week.

Players of the Week

Despite the loss, the Skyline Sluggers’ Shohei Ohtani is the player of the week thanks to his incredible four steal performance! On the pitching side, Spencer Strider gets the nod for throwing one of the most dominant starts of the year so far. Sadly for both the Sluggers and Hares, neither effot was enough for the teams. Both will have to hope for better support in the future.

Next Week

The week offers everal intriguing match-ups! Both the PhoeGnomes and Armadillos need to find consistency if they are to compete for the title. They face off in a tough match. The Legion also have a tough draw, as they look for their second win against the hot Possums squad. The Goofballs and Slyline Sluggers face off, and both teams want to build some momentum. Finally, the Hares will face the Wolf Spiders. The Hares’ pitching may be a problem for the Wolf Spiders, and both teams want to rebound from a loss.