Finals Preview

Melky here again for the RBO Chronicle. The Cinco da Mayo tournament saw a surprisingly active registration process despite the absence of Storm, Blitz, and Stigma. The tournament featured the team with the best league winning percentage (Rotowire) and the past 3 league champions (FlightNL, Empire, Bombers). Even more surprising than the registration activity are the two final teams left standing.

T.Tech vs Hybrids

T.Tech

T.Tech is coming off a huge win against Carnage. What makes their win against Carnage that much more influential on tonight’s performance is the fact that they used most of their players and the fact that they did win in walk off fashion. The road to the finals for T.Tech was a lot smoother than Hybrid’s road, but T.Tech can not control the schedule, they can only come out and play hard.

T.Tech defeated Ripit in the first round behind a Top Performer Performance by WCKDPRK. Perk has been inconsistent, shutting down the mediocre teams but struggling against true elite competition. Nevertheless, the T.Tech offense has picked up Perk time and time again to the tune of 15, 27, and 15 runs respiectively. That is easily a record for most runs in tournament play without even playing the finals. T.Tech can hit, there is no doubt, but Hybrids is a considerably better team than Ripit and Starfire.

T.Tech Hitters at a Glance

The T.Tech hitters can all be jumbled up into one big bingo ball machine, deployed 4 at a time, and still score 10 runs. This team can flat out hit and they have proven that they can not be taken lightly. I will glance at 3 of the most impressive hitters on this team.

1. Baptiste – The manager of T.Tech has shown that he can be great. His key homerun against Carnage put his team ahead in the 4th, and he is clearly capable of carrying the load if necessary.
2. GatYoPin2 – gatyopin hit multiple homeruns for the second time in this tournament. With 3 homeruns off of Mega, gatyopin carried T.Tech into the finals.
3. Manny73 – The co-manager of T.Tech sat himself in the game against Carnage to give others playing time, expect him to start and hit as well as he did versus Ripit.

T.Tech Pitchers at a Glance

- WCKDPRK -> Baptiste trusts his young ace with the reigns and will do so once again tonight. WCKDPRK has much longer leash than a lot of other elite pitchers because of his offense, but if SniperX pitches well, WCKDPRK might need to match him out for out.
- Kiku -> Kiku had to leave the game because of a low knuckle bug his last time out. If WCKDPRK striggles, kiku should take over.

What T.Tech Must do to Win
- WCKDPRK can not get knocked out early
- SayHeyKid must not see the mound
- Baptiste, Manny, and Gatyopin have to step up and hit SniperX
- T.Tech can not be distracted by the SniperX shuffle

All in all, T.Tech looks to have a solid shot at winning because of their offense. But SniperX certainly has not been easy to figure out.

HYBRIDS

The Hybrids are an up and coming elite team that have made the most noise in this tournament. Their road has been considerably harder as they knocked out 2 league champions on their quest to the finals. Toyboy and company confidently step into tonights game looking to win a pair of sunglasses and Rotowire subscription, but in reality, SniperX is playing simply for pride.

Hybrids defeated an Empire team that almost knocked them out of the tournament in the early rounds. They persevered and defeated Junior03 and the Masters who also nearly knocked them out of the race for the title. In the final four, the Hybrids systematically picked apart a Bombers team that many here at the Chronicle considered the favorites. With the toughest road to the finals, the Hybrids are easily the Cinderella story of this tournament.

Hybrids Hitters at a Glance
Hybrids rely on 2 or 3 hitters to give them offense. Normally a bad thing, their two-to-three hitters are pretty damn good. Below is a quick glance of Hybrids best Hitters.

1. ToyBoy – The Swedish Stallion is the best left fielder remaining in this tournament. Not only that he swings a mean stick. Clearly the heart and soul of this team, ToyBoy looks to continue a hot tournament.
2. GAWD – The much maligned Right Fielder has not played good defense this tournament, but has swung a hot stick. GAWD’s key homer against Bombers allowed the Hybrids to pull away from a resilient squad.
3. LordSmrf – Watch LordSmrf. He is underrated as he is bunched up with GAWD and ToyBoy but he is an exceptional hitter.

Hybrids Pitchers at a Glance

- SniperX -> He is not well liked, he is not respectful. He is a good pitcher. SniperX proved his critics wrong by coming up big in 2 of the 3 rounds of this tournament. A workhorse, SniperX has yet to be relieved from a game.
- PESTO -> Pesto is pretty upset with his lack of playing time. He did give up 5 runs to Empire in the first round after a SniperX lagout.

What Hybrids Must do to Win
- SniperX must find a way to contain the T.Tech Defense
- SniperX must pitch away from Right Field, and find a way to let ToyBoy’s defense shine
- ToyBoy and GAWD must have their usual big night, but a third Hybrid player MUST step up


Melky’s Prediction: T.Tech defeats Hybrids 11-9
Newbert’s Prediction: Hybrids defeat T.Tech 10-7

Melky’s Players to Watch: Baptiste , LORDSMRF
Newbert’s Players to Watch: SniperX , woodpecker