Welcome to the 2008 Ramada Men’s Canadian Softball Championship brought to you by the Saskatoon Amateur Softball Association Thursday is the last day of the round robin, and do we have a dogfight for the eight playoffs spots. Jarvis has guaranteed themselves a top four finish and double life in the playoffs. The only team that could catch them for first place is Aspen Interiors. However, with three games remaining Aspen could also see themselves in a tiebreaker and eventually not making the playoffs. They play Diamondbacks, tonight, Bruno tomorrow at noon and Jarvis at 8:30. Saskatoon Poly Plus Diamondbacks played 5 games in the first three days of the tournament and will be forced to play 4 in the last 24 hours .As well as playing Aspen, they play tomorrow at 1:00 against Camrose, 4:00 against St. Thomas and 6:30 versus Bruno. If they win all of them they will be guaranteed a spot in the top four. It looks like 3 wins will at least get a team in the tiebreakers. There is a very real possibility that the 6:30 game could determine the last playoff spot and the 8:30 game determine first place.
Four major upsets today shows that truly anyone can beat anyone. Just to illustrate this Hunter’s Ale House Fawcetts from PEI came into today’s action with only one win, but knocked off two of the pre-tournament favorites this afternoon in Aspen and Newfoundland. The Diamondbacks looked all but out of it after they lost a heartbreaker to Newfoundland, but came back and beat the pre-tournament favorites from Vancouver in extra innings.
Softball Canada’s tiebreaking criteria will be used to determine the top four placings Thus if 2 teams are tied for 4th place no game will be played, the team that beat the other (which is the first criteria) will be given fourth place and play in the 1vs. 4 quarter final. If teams are tied for 8th place ( right now we have 8 teams with 2 or 3 wins) a playoff game will be played as no team will be eliminated by criteria. One more release will come following the ASpen/Diamondback game.
