By Staff
July 30th, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
If necessary, Monday’s one-game playoff between London and Kitchener to determine first place, will be played at 7:35 p.m. at Labatt Park in London.
The stage is set for a dramatic finish to the IBL regular season.
With a dramatic 2-1 win over the first-place Kitchener Panthers at Labatt Park in London Friday night, the London Majors leapfrogged the Panthers and are in first place by half a game.
London finished its regular season schedule with a seven-game win streak and posted a 27-9 mark. Kitchener, which went 8-2 over its last 10 games, sits 26-9.
The two thoroughbreds have been neck-and-neck to the finish line and it’s not over yet.
While the Majors have completed their schedule, Kitchener plays host to the Brantford Red Sox Sunday night. If Kitchener beats Brantford, the Panthers will also have a 27-9 record and move into a first-place tie with London.
League rules say there is a one-game playoff to decide the pennant winner when two teams are tied for first. So if Kitchener can defeat Brantford Sunday night, the Panthers will get a good night’s sleep and head back to Labatt Park for the first-place showdown Monday night.
What a way to cap the long weekend!
London, because it has the better head-to-head record, is the host for the tie-breaker. Monday night’s game, if there is one, is scheduled for 7 p.m.
But don’t expect the Red Sox to roll over Sunday night because the game also means a lot to them. The Red Sox are 20-15 and are sitting in fourth place. The Toronto Maple Leafs are hot on their heels at 19-6.
The Bandits whooping it up after winning a double header – in the 2015 season where the ended up in 5th place.
So … if the Maple Leafs defeat Barrie Sunday afternoon at Christie Pits, they finish the season 20-16. If Kitchener defeats Brantford, the Red Sox are also 20-16, meaning those teams would be tied for fourth place.
Toronto has the edge in the season series against Brantford with three wins versus two losses.
So … a Toronto win Sunday afternoon versus Barrie and a Brantford loss to Kitchener Sunday night would give the Maple Leafs fourth spot and home-field advantage in their opening round series against the Red Sox.
And there’s also drama at the bottom of the standings. Guelph, which is in eighth spot, plays host to the Burlington Bandits tonight.
A win for the Royals would have them finish the season at 8-28 and pull them into a tie for seventh spot with the Hamilton Cardinals.
Guelph holds the edge in the season series, 3-2, against the Cardinals. So Guelph can lock up seventh-place with a win tonight.
The Burlington Bandits have a pretty secure hold on sixth place. Last year they managed to hold onto 5th place at the end of the IBL season with a final record of 15-21.
And, after all that, we have the playoffs.
