This season’s Tier 3 Playoffs will be a valuable time for the coaches of the eight least successful teams in the BBL. Some teams will be able to experience that elusive feeling of triumph as they win their series, while the losing teams will be able to get a better look at why exactly they struggled so much this season. This was true for the first completed series this round, as the Little Fishes defeated the Blue Bombers in three games to advance to the Tier 3 NLCS.

The Bombers placed tenth overall in the NL this season, going 3-11 with wins against the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, and New York Mets. The Fishes were the eleventh team overall with a 2-12 record, their only wins coming against the Cubs and Bombers. While the Fishes had previously defeated the Bombers during the regular season, they also have a notoriously unreliable defense and the Bombers had the better record, leaving no clear favorite for this series.

But it was the Bombers’ defense that struggled during the series. The assistant coach responsible for defensive setup during the Fishes’ side of the games made some poor decisions in fielder placement, making it easier for Fishes players to get on base and take extra bases. The Fishes also effectively utilized the strategy of “grounderball”, their baserunners constantly moving around and changing course to confuse the Bombers’ fielders, sneak extra bases, and avoid outs.

The Bombers themselves struggled during the first and third games of the series, both of which took place at home. Coach Mavfatha noted “I thought they had done better at home previously but nothing seemed to go their way this time.” As a result, they put up low totals that were easily eclipsed by the Fishes.

Game One started slow for the Fishes as they only scored two runs in the first three innings, but a pair of Crazy Bunts helped them to break out in the fourth inning, and they beat on the Bombers’ defense for the rest of the game to win the game 16-6. The Bombers had a resurgence in Game Two, everything going right for them and the Fishes’ trademark poor defenses combining with the quirky surface of their home field Dirt Yards to allow them to rack up an impressive total, while in the meantime they managed to do a better job of holding down the Fishes, allowing a 19-12 victory and moving the series to Game Three.

But the Bombers went back to struggling at their home of Tin Can Alley, and the Fishes had hit their stride. The Fishes scored 23 runs off the Bombers in the first three innings, only slowing down once their coach Jibbodahibbo learned that victory was virtually guaranteed now, and ultimately won the matchup 28-4 to win the series.

Stuart Sullivan was the star player for the Bombers during the series, getting on base virtually every time due to his high speed, although the boneheaded decision to start him at catcher for the Fishes’ games hurt the Bombers greatly. Coach Mavfatha commented about the series, “My team’s struggles were very apparent watching jibbo play against them. The AI chooses a terrible configuration for defense – sticking the strongest arm on the team at first, a terrible arm at catcher, etc. I also know I missed some good scoring opportunities which is always frustrating. All credit to jibbo though, he played well and deserved to win those two games at Tin Can for sure”.

Winning coach Jibbodahibbo had the following to say about his team’s victory: “Great batting performances all around. Tin can alley was not favorable to the fielding of the bombers. Fishes defense pulled it together to give their team a chance to win. Maggie led the series with 12 RBI’s”. Maggie West’s 12 RBIs secured her the title of series MVP. Jibbo has now advanced both of his teams to the next round of playoff competition, helping to make up for a lackluster regular season.

The Fishes will go on to face the winner of the series between the 1-13 Chicago Cubs and the 4-10 Colorado Rockies. The Rockies are the favorites to win this series, as the Cubs were a very ineffective team during the regular season, with their only win coming in a 1-1 contest against the Super-Duper Melonheads. The Rockies beat their division rival Fishes in both matchups that the teams had, but if the Fishes can continue the offense they had against the Bombers then they could easily turn the series around.