Staff
This year’s theme of the Rainy River District Women’s Fastball League post-season: expect the unexpected.
The double-elimination playoffs begin tonight with four first-round games, followed by four second-round contests Monday.
The fifth-place Mud Dogs (10-5-1) will host the 12th-place Big Island Wildcats (2-12-2) at VanJura Park at 7 p.m.
Right-hander Erika Paulsen (10-4-1), who deservedly has earned the moniker “Fireball” from her teammates, has been the centrepiece of a Mud Dogs’ team that only has given up 101 runs this season (second-least in the league) while possessing the league’s lowest-producing offence with 108 runs.
That offence, which sprang to life in the Mud Dogs’ 25-24 win over the Fort Frances Her-icanes in their regular-season finale, has a good chance to stay hot against the Wildcats, who gave up a league-high 266 runs this season.
The winner gets two-time defending champion and fourth-ranked Red Gut (10-4-2) in the second round Monday.
The Babes will try for a “three-peat” without their playoff ace of the past two seasons, Lynn Windego, who was one short of the three-game minimum in the regular season to be eligible for post-season action.
The 11th-place Juniors (2-12-2), who stayed out of the basement by winning a second tie-breaker against Big Island based on runs scored (154-122), will open their post-season tonight at Couchiching to face the sixth-place Lady Raiders (9-7).
The team’s records are deceptive, though, as the Juniors beat the Lady Raiders 16-10 in a rain-shortened game to close the regular season Sunday at VanJura to hand Couchiching its fifth-straight loss.
Rylee Redford likely will start tonight after winning Sunday’s match-up against Sydney Jones and the Raiders, who hope to have starting shortstop Stephanie Racine back in the lineup from a knee injury.
Waiting for the survivor will be the third-seeded Beavers (11-4-1), who are riding a three-game winning streak.
Seventh-ranked Manitou (9-7), which lost out on sixth place based on losing its head-to-head match-up with Couchiching in the regular season, will come into the playoffs on a roll as it hosts the 10th-ranked Sabaskong Cougars (3-13).
The Blaze were tied with the Big Grassy Lynx for the best record in the West Division (4-1) when the league switched to a geography-based schedule for the final portion of the season.
Karma Andy has spearheaded the Manitou charge with not only her flame-throwing from the mound but with a thunderous bat that saw her finish as the home run champ (six).
She likely will face Candi Kelly and a Cougars’ team that won’t come into the game intimidated after having beat the Blaze 16-13 in their last meeting July 8.
Standing in the wings are the second-ranked Her-icanes (12-4), whose top-ranked offence (281 runs) helped spark two big-time comebacks in the last part of the season.
The final first-round battle tonight will feature the expansion Dawson Diggers (5-11), the eighth seed, and the recently-revived ninth-ranked Sabaskong Tebinaak (4-12).
The Diggers are looking for answers after three-straight losses following back-to-back wins to start West Division play.
Tebinaak, meanwhile, appears to have put a 1-11 start behind them.
The winner will have to climb a steep mountain in the second round against first-place Big Grassy (14-2).
The defensively-stingy Lynx, featuring the league’s leader in pitching wins in Nancy Indian, are the only team not to have allowed 100 runs this year (94).
They also combined to hit a league-best eight home runs as a team this season.
