[MrNFL_FanIQ]

In the Second League, Columbus finished with the best record at 115-47, winning the Midwestern Division by 13 games over Windsor and 16 over Louisville. Milwaukee will be relegated for the second straight season, as the Brewers were 56-106, 10 games worse than eighth place Winnipeg.

In the EMC East, Staten Island finished 17-10 in September to hold onto the top spot at 104-58, giving them back-to-back promotions. The Squids outlasted solid seasons from Buffalo (99-63), Pittsburg (97-65), and Richmond (94-68). Ottawa had the worst mark by far in the entire 2L at 38-124.

San Juan held onto their Southern Division lead, also securing back-to-back promotions. The Jaguars become the first Caribbean team to be promoted to the First League, as the Puerto Rican capital outlasted the Dominican Republic’s Santo Domingo (94-68). Jacksonville was third at 89-73, an impressive turnaround since they were on the brink of relegation last season. Tampa avoided back-to-back relegation despite a terrible 56-106 year, as Fort Worth was worse. The Cats closed September 5-22 to take last at 50-112.

Edmonton had the best record in the conference with a 107-55 record atop the Western Division. Seven teams in the division finished above .500 with Juarex and Tijuana tied for second at 95-67, Colorado Spring at 92-70, and Honolulu at 90-72. The Los Angeles Angels at 56-106 get dropped for the second straight season.



In the Third League, both Worcester and Providence continued to play great in September, allowing the Walleye to hold onto the lead they entered the month with. Worcester gets promoted with the best 3L record of 117-45, while the second best record goes to the Pilgrims at 112-50, who are stuck in the 3L. Jersey City ends up demoted at 61-101, almost escaping relegation though as they got within one game of Hartford (62-100).

A 20-7 finish for Lexington and an 11-16 slump for Des Moines allowed the Lions to take off to win the Midwest at 106-56. The Ducks ended up a distant second at 94-68 despite entering the last month only three back. Dayton (53-109) ends up demoted after Madison played around .500 late. Saint Paul had an abysmal end, only finishing one better than the Dragons despite a 8.5 game gap entering September.

St. Petersburg closed 20-7 while Raleigh ended 16-12, giving the Pilots the top spot in the Southern Division at 111-51, earning promotion in back-to-back seasons. The Robins were 106-56 and Arlington a strong 101-61. Oklahoma City firmly was relegated at 51-111, two consecutive falls for them.

Boise also earned back-to-back promotions as the Brown Bears maintained their slim lead over Salt Lake. Boise finished 110-52, the Bees at 107-55, and Tucson at 101-61, a 27 game improvement for the Toros. Las Vegas is dumped for back-to-back years at 40-122, although Anchorage tried to get relegated with a terrible 44-118. Alas, the Gamblers were worse.



Over to the Fourth League, Albany finished strong to hold off four other 90+ win teams in the Eastern Division, taking first at 106-56. Yonkers was next at 99-63 in a great 4L debut, one better than New Haven (98-64). Gary held onto their lead over Ann Arbor to earn back-to-back promotion, the Guardians were 103-59 while the Axemen were 99-63.

In the other conference, Augusta’s lead shrank a bit but was plenty big to take the Southern Division at 100-62, improving 27 games from the prior year. Tallahassee was 25 better to take second at 93-69 with newcomer Amarillo right behind at 92-70. Irvine closed on a seven-game win streak and 9-1 final 10 games to beat Spokane for the Western Division title. At 109-53, the Inferno are moving up for the second straight year, while the Sabercats stay in the 4L despite the 105-57 mark.

The bottom four weren’t in doubt as Fresno, Greensboro, Lincoln, and Norfolk were all last place by a mile. All four are relegated in back-to-back years, hoping that a turnaround is possible in the Fifth League.



The Springfield (MA) Storm entered September with a 3.5 game lead in the Fifth League East and despite playing just below .500, they managed to hold first at 100-62. Portland made up 4.5 games but fell one short in second at 99-63. Charleston (97-65), Burlington (96-66), Poughkeepsie (95-67), and Scranton (94-68) all had a shot, but none could make enough of a run late. Eight of nine teams in the East had a winning record with Halifax (40-122) easily demoted yet again. The Springfield (IL) Showboats had the best record in the entire 5L at 116-46 to win the Midwest. Fargo at 6-21 in September had the worst finish and ended up demoted at 58-104, falling from seventh to ninth behind Duluth (61-101) and Springfield (MO) (60-102).

The South Division came down to the wire. Plano faded, but Cape Coral, Fayetteville, and Jackson all had an equal shot late. The Fire went 10-1 in their final 11, while the Crocs went 9-2, including a key series win over the Jazz. Cape Coral and Fayetteville finished tied at 98-64 with Jackson at 97-65. In a one-game playoff for the division title and promotion, the Crocs were 11-3 home winners. Winston-Salem was demoted for the second straight year at 42-120.



The Fifth League had all be last place Reno (36-126) within 6.5 games of first entering September. Fort Collins and Riverside pulled away from the pack with the Crusaders finishing 18-9 and the Rascals going 17-9. Riverside went ahead entering the final series, but won only one of three against Regina, while Fort Collins closed with a sweep of the Red Wolves, giving the Crusaders the rub at 92-70 and the Rascals at 91-71.



The West-South Conference in the Sixth League also had dramatic ends. In the West, three teams finished within two games of first. Santa Maria went 20-8 in September, Chandler went 19-9, and Boulder went 17-10. Salem went 20-7, but had a three game hold entering the month, while San Bernardino fell off. The Sharks went 10-3 to close, including 2-1 in the last series against the Bighorns, while the Swordfish and Chargers split their final four game series. The final tally in that mess? Santa Maria first at 101-61, Chandler second at 100-62, and Salem and Boulder both at 99-63. Saskatoon was the clear last place for a second straight drop.

The South was also tight, although less confusing with two teams as Lafayette tried to chase down Santiago. The Lazers ended on a five-game win streak, including taking two of three from the Sea Lions. But Santiago swept Greenville in their last series to hold on by one game at 100-62 to Lafayette’s 99-63. Four teams entered September in danger of relegation, but Gainesville’s abysmal 3-23 final month sealed their fate downward for back-to-back campaigns.



The East wasn’t interesting at Manchester easily took it 101-61 and Newfoundland a distance last at 42-120. In the Midwest, Rockford and Bloomington were tied with 10 to go, but a 7-3 finish for the Rockets and 2-8 one for the Blue Claws propelled Rockford to first at 96-66. Overland Park was just a little worse than London, dropping the Predators with a 60-102 season.


The Seventh League East came down to the last series with Moncton at Niagara Falls with the Muskies up by one game. Moncton would sweep the Fisherman to finish first at 101-61, while NF ends tied with Sherbrooke for second at 97-65. Willkes-Barre and York tied for last at 49-113, but even with the Blackhawks’ nine-game losing streak to end the year, they avoid demotion thanks to an 8-2 record against the Yellowbirds. Huntington held firm at 99-63 in the Midwest, 25 games better than last year, while Youngstown is relegated yet again. Same for Durham and Modesto in the WSC, although the good news is you can’t get relegated any lower.

Port St. Lucie maintained a five-game lead to win the South at 100-62. Mexicali matched pace with Santa Fe in the West, giving the Monkeys first at 105-57 over the 102-60 Sundevils.



Lakewood, Springdale, and Bend all held onto their leads in the Eighth League to win their divisions and earn promotion. The Midwest was a mess that ended with Bowling Green and Champaign tied at 87-75, one better than Livonia and two over Carmel. In the tiebreaker game, the Hot Rods went ahead in the eighth inning to win 9-6 and earn promotion.



Abbotsford avoided back-to-back El Stinko status as newly demoted Ogden was the worst team in all of baseball at 46-116. A minus -451 run differential.