With more than half of the regular season schedule now in the rearview mirror for most of the Saskota Baseball League, two teams have pulled themselves ahead of the pack by a clear margin, while a third nips at their heels. The Oxbow Chiefs and Estevan Taphouse Wolves, both unbeaten on the road, sit first and second respectively, each with only one loss on the campaign. 

Five of the seven wins for the Wolves have seen them post double digit runs, while team defense has been strong as they've surrendered one run or fewer in five of their wins as well. They've suffered a couple of rain delays, but only the Carlyle Cardinals have beaten them yet this season, downing them 13-5 on June 6.

"We've had a very good season so far," said Danny Ewen from the Taphouse Wolves. "We've been winning a good chunk of our games by quite a few runs, so our best asset, our bats, is working quite well, and our pitching is holding up as well. We've been very happy with it. Just like we thought at the start of the season there's a few teams at the top battling it out."    

Oddly enough, the Cardinals are also the only team to have beaten the Oxbow Chiefs, handing them a 14-12 loss on June 11 just five days after beating the Wolves. Carlyle has proven a little inconsistent, however, with losses to Kenosee and Redvers holding them out of first place. 

Aside from the loss to Carlyle, however, Oxbow has been dominant. They've scored over 20 runs in a single game twice, and are averaging over 12 runs for per game, just ahead of the Wolves, who sit over 11. The two teams will meet for the first time on Tuesday, June 25, after their first scheduled game was rained out.

"Those are the measuring stick games," Ewen said. "Whenever you've got your top competition coming in, whether you're chasing them down or trying to hold them off, guys usually get up a little more for those games. You'll see the top pitchers for both teams, the top lineups for both teams, ideally of course assuming work or something doesn't get in the way."

The middle to bottom of the standings are considerably tighter. Redvers sits fourth with five wins in nine games, but from there teams might flip flop positions on any given night, with Kipling, Carnduff, Kenosee, and Arcola all separated by just a couple of wins. Kipling especially has been a surprise, as it's only their second season in the league. 

"They've got three wins and a tie," said Ewen of the Royals. "That's a pretty big step forward for that club. With that record already they're likely in line for a playoff spot, so that's been one of the more surprising ones." 

The only winless team in the league is the Southeast Fireballs, though they have played some close games, including a 5-3 loss to Estevan in which they held a lead for much of the game. The Fireballs are also the only team who have not yet completed the first half of their 16-game schedule, as they've played just seven games so far. Arcola has played the most with ten.