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National League 1st half Summary
NEW CARLISLE- We have hit the midway point of the 2017 regular season so it is time to take a look at how things are shaping up in the National League!
NL East
So far the NL East has been the most entertaining division as the Newts and Mechanics both sit at 10-5, tied for the division lead. These two teams matched up just a few weeks ago in the night series and it was the Mechanics who were able to take 2 out of 3 in front of a packed house.
While the Mechanics currently own the tiebreaker, these teams will meet up one more time later this season in a matchup that could potentially decide the division. Both teams would love to win the division and avoid the 1 game Wild Card round where anything could happen.
For the Newts, this is nothing new to them as they have consistently been at the top of the National League for the past 5 years. On the other hand, this is only the Mechanics 2nd season in the league so it is unchartered territory for them.
The Mechanics struggled in their inaugural season but have turned a lot of heads so far this season. After a productive offseason, this young team is showing that they are here to stay and that this start is not a fluke.
New Carlisle and Olive Township have been winning in different ways as the Mechanics have been scoring a lot of runs in their hitter friendly ballpark while the Newts have had to fight for every run. 12 of the first 15 games were played at Migley in which the wind was howling in for 9 of them. All in all, this should be a fun race to follow down the stretch.
Holding down the fort at the bottom of the division is Emery's Army who have seen their struggles in their return to league play. The Army sits at 4-11 on the season but has been playing better ball of late.
With Ryan Murphy and Jake Lawrence putting up quality numbers, EA could be in for a hot streak here as we hit the dog days of summer. While their division hopes are slim, Emery's Army will look to get hot in the 2nd half and gain some momentum heading into the playoffs.
NL West
The NL West has gotten out of hand as the Granger Panthers have pulled away from the Taco Punchers and Leprechauns. Granger is having a memorable first season in the league as they currently hold a league best 16-2 record.
Led by Griffin Smith and Seth Campbell, the Panthers are looking like they will give the defending champions a run for their money come playoff time. Granger has absolutely dominated their competition, as their only 2 losses have come to New Carlisle and Maple City.
The Newts and Magic may be the only teams that could take down Granger but Olive Township surely thinks otherwise. Even though Granger just swept the Mechanics, Olive Township could potentially provide problems for Granger.
With Galena Marsh and Lynn St. are struggling to pick up wins, the Panthers continue to roll and sooner than later they will have the NL West all locked up. Granger is looking like a good bet to be the #1 seed in the National League Playoffs.
