Focus to secure 2nd place.

With six games to go, the Railroaders remain in 2nd place five games behind the Hoppers.  Taking first seed in the Playoffs should no longer be a concern for Fulton.  Not impossible, but highly improbable at this juncture of the season.  The focus now is "just win, baby" to secure the second seed.  The Railroaders are only 2 1/2 games ahead of the Pirates who have just 5 games remaining.

The Railroaders are looking at the 2 more games with the Bobcats and 1 game each with the Hoppers, Pirates, Oilers and Bombers (who are at the Yard tonight).  The win against the Pirates last night gives the Railroaders a 5-3 season series lead and a tie breaker in the standings (if it comes to that) with 1 game to go. All that boils down to any combination of 3 Railroader wins or 3 Pirate losses, the magic number to secure the 2nd Playoff seed.

The five games remaining for the Pirates consist of 1 games each of the other OVL teams.  Tonight they face the Hoppers in Hoptown.  The Bucs end the regular season at home next Wednesday with the Railroaders. As for the 1st place Hoppers, I doubt they will lose hold of their standing.  The Railroaders will at least get a chance tomorrow to gain a game on them in Hopkinsville. It is likely we'll see them again in post season play. It's shaping up and appearing to look just like last year's finish, but the final outcome has yet to be seen.

All well and good, but for the moment the focus should be on the next game ahead.  Tonight is the 4th place Bombers at the Yard who are in a battle with the Oilers for a 4th place seed.  The Bombers added a couple of new guys (pitchers I think) before the cutoff on Monday.  They have won 2 straight games and are feeling pretty good about themselves.  However, the Railroaders have the bats and pitching is overall stronger. It is a good time to get a win tonight and 1 of the 3 games needed.  If the Hoppers beat the Pirates tonight, and I think they will, we could pick up 2 of the three needed. Boilerstoker and I will be calling the game tonight so Fire it UP!

Getting serious with the Pirates tonight

The Railroaders have only 8 games left in the regular season, three of those are against the Tradewater Pirates of Madisonville.  The 3rd place Pirates will appear tonight at the Yard, only 2 1/2 games behind our 2nd place Railroaders.  Needless to say this game is important for both teams.  Tradewater has only 7 games left before the playoffs and desire our spot going into post season play.  The Railroaders currently lead the season series with the Pirates at 4-2, so a win tonight for Fulton would secure a tie breaker in the standings.

The Pirates swept the Bombers last night in Madisonville.  They'll be riding high coming into the Yard with hopes of getting revenge for their loss to the Railroaders only two days ago.  After tonight's game, the final 2 games between the two teams will be played in Madisonville.  Its important for the Railroaders to ensure Fulton has the edge in the standings with a big win tonight.

In regards to the 1st place Hoppers . . . they are playing well and riding a 6 game winning streak, their last loss at the hands of the Railroaders.  The Hoptown, ahead by 4 games over Fulton, appears unbeatable and unreachable at this point.  They will need to drop 4 of their final 8 games, not likely as 4 of those games are with the struggling Bobcats.  Assuming a Hoptown sweep of Marion, it would be up to the Railroaders, Pirates, Bombers and Oilers to each beat the Hoppers in order for Fulton to take 1st seed   The Railroaders would have the tie breaker in this case with a 5-4 season record over the Hoppers.

For now the Railroaders must work on securing 2nd seed for post season playoffs.  Taking out the Pirates at the Yard tonight is the first task at hand.  We have won 4 straight, let's keep it going.  Fire It Up, Boys!!!

Railroaders resume with Pirates tonight

Man the cannons, Pirates sailing our way

We missed out on baseball with the Bobcats last night because the rain.  That game has been rescheduled for next Monday, July 22. That now means 10 games in 10 days to close out the regular season.  Only Fulton and Marion were unable to get their game in.  First place Hoppers and third place Pirates both won their games last evening against the Oilers and Bombers.  The Railroaders are now wedged in second place between the Hoppers (4 games ahead) and the Pirates (2 games behind).  Both team also have 10 games remaining with each having a doubleheader to play tomorrow.

Tonight though, the Railroaders must face off with the Pirates at the Yard.  This game a make-up from the rain out on July 6.  The Railroaders have 4 of their remaining 10 games against the Pirates.  No need to say how important every one of them is, starting with tonight's contest.  The Pirates have won 3 straight and indeed to make it 4 tonight.  One of them boasted last time before the game was called, that the Buc had a surprise for us and predicted a 6-3 win for Madisonville.  Was the surprise the rain?  The game stopped with a 3-1 Railroader lead, I guess they's planned to score 5 more big ones on us.

We shall see tonight how it turns out.  Both teams have met 5 times this year with the Railroaders 3-2 against the Pirates, and both have a lot to play for.  The Railroaders would still like to de-throne the Hoppers but need to remain in second to even have a chance.  The Pirates wouldn't mind taking out the Hoppers too, but they have to get past the Railroaders to do it.   One thing for sure, it's going to be a heck of the game tonight at Yard, hope you can get out to see it and support the Railroaders!

Down to the Final Stretch

UPDATE

TONIGHT'S GAME HAS BEEN RAINED OUT.

Ten games to go to complete the regular season.  The Railroaders have four games left with the Pirates, one each with the Hoppers, Bombers, and Oilers, and three with the Bobcats.  The two main questions to answer are:  1) Can the Railroaders keep their current pace in the race?  2) Will the Hoppers stumble enough to be overtaken?

If the Hoppers trip up, the Railroaders need to be right there ready to gain ground.  No ifs, buts about it. We are getting down the wire and very little room to slip up.

The first of the three games with the Bobcats is tonight at the Yard in Fulton.  While the Cats may be struggling, a wounded animal can be more dangerous. By no means should we take the Bobcats for granted. There is still fight in Marion and the Railroaders will go on Tuesday to Marion for another game.  On Monday, the game will be with the Pirates as the Yard.

The Railroaders should be on their toes and continue to play at their best tonight, and throughout the next 11 days to close out the season.  With only 10 games to go, every one counts.  Fire it up and keep it on the track!