The final four games of the regular season are here and the Duluth Huskies are fortunate enough to get them all at home. With the start of a new series, we thought it would be the perfect time to release the third installment of Path to the Playoffs: Huskies Rooting Guide.
With the events of the past couple days, the race has been trimmed down. Just three teams remain in contention for the second half crown and accompanying playoff berth. Here is a look at those still in contention:
- Eau Claire (19-12, –)
- Duluth (18-13, -1.0 GB)
- Rochester (15-15, -3.5 GB)
Important things to note: the Huskies do hold the tiebreaker over the Express by virtue of their, 8-4, head-to-head record. As a result, the one game lead that the Express have over the Huskies should essentially be treated as a half-game lead since if the two teams finish with the same record, the Huskies would be the ones to go through. With Rochester, the two teams are currently even, 3-3, in the head-to-head but it doesn’t matter because if Rochester were to catch the Huskies, Duluth wouldn’t be going through anyways since that would mean they would have to lose all four games.
Here are the things Huskies fans should be rooting for today, in order of importance:
As always, your own team getting the job done remains the number one priority. The Huskies host the Waterloo Bucks both today and tomorrow, so root for the Huskies to beat the Bucks and keep on the heels of the Eau Claire Express. First pitch for today’s contest is scheduled for 6:35 pm.
Thunder Bay and Eau Claire entered their six-game series in the same exact spot. Four games in, however, the Express have basically delivered the death blow to the Border Cats by continuing their hot streak and taking the first four games of the series. The Huskies have to finish at least one game better than the Express in the final four games, so root for the Border Cats to get up off the mat and take at least one, and ideally both, of the final two games. Today’s game begins at 5:35 pm. Eau Claire finishes the season on the road at the Madison Mallards for the final two games.
As far as relevant scenarios go for the Huskies, this is about it. The Huskies will be assured home field advantage if they make the playoffs and they hold the only meaningful tiebreaker at this stage. So, for now Huskies fans, on top of cheering for your own team, you’re the biggest Express haters there ever were.
At the top of this post is a link to the Northwoods League Scoreboard to help you keep track of the other games in real-time.