Northwoods team riding high as playoffs shift to Three Lakes

The Northwoods Post 31 Legion baseball team has had another stellar regular season this summer, a year following an undefeated regular season last year. With its final regular-season doubleheader scheduled earlier this week against Tomahawk, Northwoods will now shift its focus to the regional tournament later this week.

With an 8-1 record as of before this past Monday’s doubleheader (based on scores given to the News-Review), Northwoods is feeling confident as it hosts a three-team double-elimination regional tournament starting this Friday, June 24. Following a late scheduling change last week, Don Burnside Park in Three Lakes is now the host site of the regional after Minocqua dropped out of the tournament. Northwoods kicks tournament action off against Medford in the 11 a.m. game this Friday, July 24. Merrill is the third team joining this year’s regional. Medford and Merrill will battle in the second game on Friday at 2 p.m., with the nightcap being Merrill and Northwoods at 5 p.m.

If there are 2-0 and 1-1 teams after Friday’s games, the regional final will be held Saturday, July 25, at 10 a.m. If the 2-0 team were to lose that first game, a second game would be played at 1 p.m. to determine the regional champion.

If all three teams go 1-1 on Friday, round robin play resets on Saturday with the same schedule as Friday. The regional final game would then be pushed to Sunday at 10 a.m, with a potential second game at 1 p.m.

If a similar situation occurs after Saturday (all teams going 1-1), a single-elimination tournament will be played Sunday morning, with Northwoods and Medford playing at 10 a.m., with the winner facing Merrill for the regional championship at 1 p.m.

The winner who comes out as the regional champion will advance to the Class AA Legion State Tournament in River Falls on Friday, July 31, through Tuesday, Aug. 4. The Three Lakes regional winner would face the River Falls regional champion on Friday, July 31, at 2:30 p.m.