It’s playoff season for “town team” baseball, with three local entries vying for Region berths and eventual qualification for the state tournament.

Clearwater

The RiverCats opened the playoffs last Saturday with a 7-3 win over the Sartell Stone Poneys.  The Cats posted three runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings to put the game away.

Bryan McCallum went three-for-four to pace the squad, as the Cats pounded out 12 hits total.

Cody Nefs drew the start on the bump and went seven innings, scattering just five hits and striking out five batters.

Sunday, the Cats fell to the Sartell Muskies, 10-1.  The Cats managed five hits, while Jake Carper started on the mound and went six innings, yielding five runs, all unearned, as three errors behind him proved costly.

Clearwater will now play Saturday (today) against St. Joe, with the third seed for the Region 11C tourney at stake.

Becker

The Bandits fell 6-1 last Saturday to the St. Joe Saints in their playoff opener.

Sunday, the Bandits edged Clear Lake, 3-2, in a game that ended the Lakers’ season.

Will Thorn started on the mound for Becker and went five innings, blanking the Lakers, while Josh Groskreutz had a pair of hits and the game winning RBI.

Becker now takes on the Stone Poneys in a Saturday (today) matinee with the fifth seed for the Region 11C tournament on the line.

Lakers

Clear Lake started the playoffs last Friday with a 3-2, 12th inning loss to the Monticello Polecats.  Combined with their identical, 3-2 loss to Becker on Sunday, the Lakers’ season came to an end.

Region 11C

The Region 11C tournament will kick off July 31, with the top six teams from the Sauk Valley League competing with the top three teams from the Central Valley League.  The top two finishers in the Region tournament will join teams from across the state for the MBA State Amateur Baseball Tournament.  Jordan, Belle Plaine, Green Isle and Shakopee will play host to this year’s tournament, with games being played on Aug. 16-18, Aug. 23-25, and Aug. 30-Sept. 2.