Ems Head to Final Week of NWL Season in Tight Playoff Race
Published on August 27, 2018 under Northwest League (NWL1)
Eugene Emeralds News Release
EUGENE, OR - Seven games remain in the 2018 Northwest League regular season with the Eugene Emeralds firmly entrenched in the race for the final playoff berth in the South Division.
Following yesterday's league results, the Hillsboro Hops clinched the 2nd half division crown, repeating their performance from the 1st half of the season. As a result, the race for the second playoff spot in the South comes down to the better second-half record between the Ems, Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, and the Boise Hawks. Entering tonight's play, the Emeralds stand at 14-17, one game ahead of the Volcanoes, who sit at 13-18. The Boise Hawks, at 10-21, remain 4 games behind the Ems, but still mathematically alive in the race.
With 7 games remaining, the race figures to come down to the wire. Tonight, the Ems host the Tri-City Dust Devils in the final regular season home game at PK Park, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05pm. After an off-day Tuesday, the Ems head out on the road to conclude their regular season schedule.
All eyes will be on Eugene's next series, as they travel to Salem-Keizer to take on the Volcanoes in a 3-game series Wednesday-Friday. The winner of that series will have the inside track on the final playoff spot. To conclude the regular season, the Ems will then travel to Boise to take on the Hawks in another 3-game series Saturday-Monday.
If the Emeralds make the postseason, it will mark the third-straight season that Eugene has made the playoffs, which would be a first in franchise history. The Ems would host Game 1 of a first-round best-of-3 playoff series on Wednesday, September 5th, before traveling to Hillsboro for Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) on the 6th and 7th.
The Eugene Emeralds are the short-season Class A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The 2017 Emeralds followed an historic 2016 season with another Northwest League playoff appearance in 2017, defeating the Hillsboro Hops in the Semi-Finals before falling to the Vancouver Canadians in the Championship Series 3 games to 1. This marked the second consecutive season the Ems reached the NWL playoffs, the first time the franchise accomplished that feat since 1985-86. The Eugene Emeralds are dedicated to providing the best in family entertainment, and have been nominated for the Larry MacPhail Award for a seventh consecutive year. For more information, please visit our website at www.EmeraldsBaseball.com or call the Emeralds front office at 541-342-5367.
Northwest League Stories from August 27, 2018
- Walkoff Win in Tenth Completes 7-1 Homestand - Hillsboro Hops
- Unearned Runs Sink 'Sox - Everett AquaSox
- Eury Ramos Earns NWL Pitcher of the Week Honors - Eugene Emeralds
- Monday's Radio Broadcast on 103.7 FM - Hillsboro Hops
- Ems Head to Final Week of NWL Season in Tight Playoff Race - Eugene Emeralds
- Boise Hawks Final Homestand Preview - August 29 to September 3 - Boise Hawks
- Frogs Snap Six Game Road Losing Streak - Everett AquaSox
- Ems Turn It to 11 - Eugene Emeralds
- Streak Ends with 5-2 Loss to Everett - Hillsboro Hops
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