Tranås – Leksand Lumberjacks 2-7, 5-3
Tranås defended its two-game lead in fourth place of the top-six round in the Swedish Elitserien with a split against Leksand. In game one the Lumberjacks used a five-run second en route to a 7-2 win. Seven different players scored. Richard Leander (W 2-1) allowed just six hits, two runs and three bb in seven innings. Matt Merrifield drove in two for Tranås. In game two Tranås prevailed 5-3 to hold on to their two-game advantage over Leksand. Two more games are left on the schedule with Tranås taking on the sixth-ranked Goteborg Hajarna, while Leksand faces Sundbyberg.
Karlskoga Bats – Sundbyberg Heat 6-5, 6-4
Karlskoga did on Sunday what Leksand would like to do next weekend. They defeated the Heat in both ends of the doubleheader. In game one the Bats overcame a 0-4 deficit after a big Sundbyberg rally in the fourth to win 6-5 thanks to two runs in the sixth and four in the seventh. Ronny Frid drove in two, while Elias Soelveling collected three hits, a walk and a run. Josh Gregory picked up two RBI for the Heat. Philip Gajzler and Shawn Vance had three hits each. Kent Karlsson (W 3-0) got the win in relief. Johan Tisell (L 3-2, BS 3) took the loss.
In game two they built a 5-0-lead through five innings, but nearly blew it in a 6-4 victory. Henrik Johansson and Eimantes Zickus combined for four RBI. Zickus (W 6-2) also issued just three hits, a run and six bb in seven strong innings for the win. He struck out seven. Nick Soubiea (L 7-3) surrendered eleven hits, six runs (5 ER) and four bb in eight innings.
Stockholm – Goteborg Hajarna 27-3 (7), 13-3 (8)
Stockholm celebrated two lopsided wins over Goteborg to solidify first place in the standings. In game one they came out swinging, putting twelve runs on the board in the opening frame in a 27-3 rout. Kevin Santiago went 2-for-4 with four runs scored and seven RBI. Damon Lessler also scored four times and drove in four. Jakob Claesson (W 6-2) allowed just an unearned run on two hits in five innings for the win. Sami Saekkinen (L 0-2) surrendered eight hits, 19 runs (12 ER) and 13 bb in three-plus innings.
In the second game Stockholm scored nine times in the first three innings in a 13-3 win. Peter Johannessen went 4-for-5 with two homeruns, two doubles, three runs scored and eight RBI. Matthias Pehkonen (STO) received the starting nod for Stockholm and gave up a hit, three runs and eight walks in 4 2/3 innings. Niklas Eriksson (W 3-1) got the win. Curtis Dionne (L 4-6) was charged with eight hits and nine runs (6 ER) in four frames.
Box scores, Stats at Heatstat.se
Standings:
- Stockholm 17-4
- Karlskoga 16-6
- Sundbyberg 14-7
- Tranås 12-10
- Leksand 10-12
- Goteborg 6-16