Three games each. Two days. Two teams. Cotuit and Wareham. The race for the West Division’s final spot in the CCBL Playoffs is coming down to the final weekend, and it is still anyone’s game.
Entering Saturday’s games, the Gatemen have 26 points to the Kettleers’ 24. A wild Friday slate saw Wareham make up four points in the race, finishing off the comfortable lead Cotuit once had just a couple weeks ago. As it stands though, the Kettleers do hold the tiebreaker should it be necessary due to winning the season series three games to two. With that being said, here is what has to happen for Cotuit to clinch a postseason berth.
The magic number (Cotuit wins + Wareham losses) needed for the Kettleers to make the postseason now sits at four. Three Cotuit wins and one Wareham loss would do the trick the same as one Cotuit win and three Wareham losses. Any combination adding up to four will see the Kettleers through to the playoffs.
Cotuit has just one game Saturday when they travel on the road to face Hyannis. The Harbor Hawks do hold the season series on the Kettleers 3-1, but Cotuit has proven they can win at McKeon Park this season like they did July 12 in a gutsy 1-0 affair. With both teams fighting for playoff seeding, expect a tough game.
Meanwhile, Wareham also has just one game Saturday when they hit the road to take on Falmouth. The Gatemen hold the season advantage over the Commodores, taking three of four games including a recent 14-2 drubbing. If there was a tailor-made matchup for a Wareham victory, this would be the one.
In short, Saturday’s games don’t bode well for Cotuit’s playoff odds. The Gatemen have a somewhat comfortable matchup and will ride in on a high note from their two victories Friday, while the Kettleers are reeling from a long losing streak and play a tougher opponent.
The final day of the season sees both teams play a double-header. The Kettleers stay at Lowell Park for both games, hosting Chatham in a resumption of a weather-shortened game before hosting Bourne in the season finale. On the other side, Wareham travels to Orleans before coming back across the Cape to host Hyannis.
Down 1-0 in the bottom of the third, Cotuit will have to attack early to have a shot at beating the Anglers. One thing to note is that the lineups could look wildly different from the original game, as the first part of the game took place over a week and a half ago. The final game will be a challenge as well, as the Kettleers will look to beat a Bourne team they have lost to three times by a single run.
On the flip side, Orleans was officially eliminated from playoff contention Friday and will have nothing but pride to play for when they take on the Gatemen. Meanwhile, Hyannis will be in the midst of a division seeding battle and could be a tough opponent for Wareham. An interesting wrinkle in all of this is the travel, as the Gatemen will have to travel across the Cape twice in one day for their double-header.
If the Kettleers are to get their magic number from four to zero, the more bountiful source will be Wareham losses instead of their own wins. Cotuit has dropped five games in a row, and is playing baseball that is uninspiring at best.
It is possible the Kettleers eke out a victory on the final weekend, in which case they will need the Gatemen to drop all three of their final games to make the postseason. The Kettleers are not dead yet, but their season is now in critical condition after dropping nine of their last ten games down the stretch.
