South: Legionnaires with the next home game hit / heathheads in wait
Marco Cardoso (l.) and the Stuttgart Reds meet Lukas Jahn (r.) and the Guggenberger Legionnaires for the second time this season (Photo: Iris Drobny, www.drobny.photograpy)
Gradually it crystallizes: five teams, four places. The table image in the 1st Bundesliga South is slowly splitting into two parts. Defending champion Heidenheim has worked his way up the field and maintained his chances of taking first place with a win in Regensburg. On the 8th match day, the Heideköpfe are now expecting the Mannheim Tornados at the Brenz. On Saturday (from 3 p.m.) the double header will provide further information about the further course of the season. The top duel between the first and the fourth will already take place on Friday. At 7 p.m., the Stuttgart Reds make a guest appearance with table leaders Guggenberger Legionnaires. The second meeting begins on Saturday at 2 p.m. The IT sure Falcons will welcome the Munich-Haar Disciples in Ulm and the Tübingen Hawks the Mainz Athletics from 12 noon.
Regensburg wants to maintain its lead
It was the expected exciting duels. In the end, the two top favorites from Heidenheim and Regensburg shared the victories. And not only that: With the identical results, the East Swabians and the Upper Palatinate are also in direct comparison on the same level. This is slightly better news for the Guggenberger Legionnaires. Coach Tomas Bison’s team defended their lead over the competition. Although the winning streak of the five-time champions came to an end in the eleventh game, last year’s semi-finalists are still two wins ahead of Heidenheim, Haar and Stuttgart.
Stuttgart right in the middle of the playoff race
Of course, the Stuttgart Reds want to change that during their performances on the Danube. In the first leg, the Swabians lost out twice. Since then there have only been two more defeats. The “Reds” seem to have found their groove. The race for the coveted places is still a hot one. Mainz continued to get close to Bad Cannstatt during the week. Every point counts towards the stated minimum goal of playoff participation. With corresponding ambitions, the people of Stuttgart travel to the Danube.
Heideköpfe-Express is slowly picking up speed
The Heidenheim Heideköpfe are also slowly getting hot. Four defeats of the season are probably a bit more than the defending champion had imagined at this point. Nevertheless, the performance in Regensburg should give the six-time champion a further boost. From first to fifth place, anything is possible for manager Klaus Eckle’s team. If the competition slips up, the Heidenheimers want to be there. In addition, two victories against the troubled record champions are almost mandatory.
Mannheim goals in acute danger due to misery
The Mannheim Tornados got off to a good start. A few weeks later, the baseball world at Germany’s oldest club is no longer looking so rosy. The people of Baden have now suffered eight defeats in a row. The bankruptcy in the catch-up game in Mainz during the week represents the preliminary low point. With 3:9 victories, the current table neighbors are Tübingen and Ulm. All three teams are exactly the same. A fact that the eleven-time champion certainly likes less than the Swabian duo. The “whirlwinds” have made it their goal to reach the postseason again this year.
