The defending champ Charlottetown Gaudet’s Auto Body Islanders (17-8) are moving closer to clinching first place for the second consecutive season, but the Moncton Mets (12-10) are in hot pursuit, with 3.5 games separating the two teams.
The Fredericton St. Louis Bar and Grill Royals (11-9) are in third place and also trail the Islanders by 3.5 games, while the Chatham Miramichi Honda Ironmen (10-11) are fourth and sitting five games back of Charlottetown. The Saint John AJ’s Alpines (4-16) are last in the five-team senior circuit.
The Alpines have struggled for most of the season and are comfortably in fifth place, but they could have a shot at redemption in the single-elimination game between the fourth and fifth squads to decide the fourth playoff seed.
The Royals have a game in hand on the Islanders, while the Mets have played three fewer games. The Ironmen being plagued with rainouts earlier in the season has left them with four games in hand on Charlottetown and three in hand on Fredericton.
Saint John has played five fewer games than the Islanders.
The teams will continue jockeying for positioning Tuesday, when Charlottetown hosts Moncton for a 7:30 p.m. start. The Alpines and Mets will face off Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Moncton, and the Ironmen and Fredericton will hit the field Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Miramichi. Moncton and Saint John will rematch Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Kiwanis Park.
Fredericton and Saint John will do battle Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Royals Field. The Ironmen will visit the Islanders for a 2 p.m. doubleheader Saturday at Victoria Park.
The Alpines will entertain the Mets Sunday at 1 p.m. at David Ring Memorial Field.
Connor Hill of Saint John and Jack Kraft of Charlottetown are currently leading the league’s batting department, with averages of .415 and .418 respectively.
Ironmen import Dylan Lester is third with a .435 pace, followed by Cole MacLaren (.380) of the Islanders and Serge Vautour (.390) of the Mets. Saint John’s Adam Clark’s .333 average is good for sixth place and has been a bright spot in the Alpines’ disappointing season to date.
In the pitching category, Brody McDonald of Charlottetown is on top with a 2.08 earned-run average, followed by Royals veteran Colby Lyle with his 2.12 ERA, Ethan Smith of the Islanders with his 2.21 ERA, Lester at 2.71, and Jackson Dekker of Moncton with a 2.89 ERA.
Moncton’s game scheduled for Sunday against the Alpines, along with the Mets’ Wall of Honour induction ceremony for Jody Cole and Pat Godin, were postponed to Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Kiwanis Park due to inclement weather.
Cole made his debut with the previous Mets club in 1993 and later became general manager of the Moncton Fisher Cats. He was part of two league championship runs in the Hub City and a key member of the Mets’ national championship-winning squad in 2006. He’s also a four-time all-star and still ranks in the league’s top 10 in career hits and doubles.
Godin joined the Moncton Mudcats in 1997 and eventually became a leader on the Mets, Hub City Brewers, and the Fisher Cats. His accolades during his 20-year career included multiple all-star nods, defensive awards, a league title, and a national championship.
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