The KFL’s 2012 regular season came to an exciting close last night, with playoff destinies hanging in the balance right up until the final game.
In the Black Division, the two-time defending champion Classics have found their stride at precisely the right time, winning eight of their final nine games, including a 5-3 win over the division-leading Diamond Jaxx last night to clinch the division’s second spot. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for the Jaxx, who nonetheless enter the playoffs with the overall #1 seed after a 17-2 season that saw them outscore their opponents by 119 runs – an average of more than six runs per game! The Moonshiners went 3-2 over the season’s homestretch, dropping to third in the division by virtue of losing the tiebreaker with the surging Classics. The final spot in the Black Division was not decided until the season’s final game.
After falling to the Kings 5-4 and Jays 7-0, the Selects blanked the
Phillies 4-0 and were forced to wait and see what their fate would be. After the Phillies lost two of their final three, it was down to the Selects and Predators for the final spot; Bell Cartage downed the Predators 9-1, dropping them to the B side and handing the Selects the last playoff berth.
That Bell Cartage win also had repercussions for the Red Division’s final standings. With it, Bell moved ahead of the Smoke to lock up third place in the division, after the Smoke had beat them 3-2 to sweep the season series.
The Kings finished the season on a five-game undefeated streak, beating the Selects and battling the Barons to a 2-2 tie, giving them second place in the Red Division. The Jays, meanwhile, made their first season in the league a statement one. After dropping the Selects, they rode dominant pitching from Shayne Riepert and Marc Geddes in the final Rogers TV Game of the Week to beat the Moonshiners 2-0, ending the season on a seven-game winning streak to lock up the division’s top spot.
Teams must now shift immediately into playoff mode, with the first
postseason games going tonight.