The Connecticut Tri-State Baseball League still has things to sort out in the standings in the final weekend of the 2018 regular season.
There are first round byes to be clinched and state tournament berths to be had. There is plenty of possible fluctuation in the standings depending on the results of the weekend’s games.
In some cases, teams will play two games to close out their 18-game slate. The Wolcott Scrappers (12-4) may end up needing to play on Sunday against the East Mountain Cougars (2-14) if the game has an impact on the standings.
Here’s what is going on for Saturday:
Blasius Chevrolet (12-5) had a rough week before Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Tri-Town Trojans. Blasius hopes to wrap up a Stan Musial State Tournament berth today (Saturday) at 10 a.m. against the Canton Crushers. A win would put Blasius at 13-5 to end the regular season.
Wolcott would love to wrap up a Top 4 seed and a first round bye, but there is business that needs to be taken care of. The Scrappers play Litchfield (12-5) today at noon at Litchfield High School. Wolcott’s final regular season record could have anywhere from 12 to 14 wins, and anywhere from four to six losses, depending on whether both games get played this weekend and what the results of those games are.
The Terryville Black Sox (14-3) want to clinch their first Tri-State regular season title and can with a win over the Bristol Greeners (11-6) on Saturday at noon at Fisher Elementary School. A win would give Terryville a 15-3 record, one game better than anyone else’s best-case scenario.
Get down toward the 11th and 12th seeds, and things get really crazy. The Southington 66ers are 7-10 and in 11th place, but they have a showdown against the Valley Thunder, who are 6-11, on Saturday at Wolcott’s Tyrrell Middle School at 2 p.m.
The Tribury Twisters are also 6-11, and they face East Mountain on Saturday at Bucks Hill Park at noon. The Burlington Hunters, also 6-11, face the Amenia Monarchs (8-8) on Saturday at Amenia’s Doc Bartlett Field at 1 p.m.
The first tie-breaker used is head-to-head, and the second is run differential for season (runs scored minus runs allowed for all games played). Here’s how the head-to-head records look before today’s games:
Southington (7-10) = 0-1 vs. Burlington, 1-0 vs. Tribury, 0-0 vs. Valley (game Saturday)
Burlington (6-11) = 1-0 vs. Southington, 0-2 vs. Valley, 0-1 vs. Tribury
Valley (6-11) = 0-0 vs. Southington (game Saturday), 2-0 vs. Burlington, 0-1 vs. Tribury
Tribury (6-11) = 0-1 vs. Southington, 1-0 vs. Tribury, 1-0 vs. Valley
A Southington win over Valley clinches a playoff berth for the 66ers and eliminates the Thunder. If Tribury and Burlington win, Tribury is in because of its win over Burlington. Beyond that, things get really hectic.
The games begin as early as 10 a.m. today, and the dust should be settled by the end of the day Sunday.
