The Portage Padres are gearing up for the second round of the Santa Clara Baseball League playoffs with Game 1 of the semi-finals against Carberry taking place Friday night at Rotary Republic of Manitobah Park.
Portage finished the regular season at the top of the standings and earned a first-round bye. The Royals advanced to the league semi-finals beating Minnedosa in three games.
Padres shortstop Tanner Jago says they’re excited to get back on the diamond, adding the team is prepared to turn things around after dropping two of three regular-season games to the Royals.
“They got the better of us in the regular season,” he notes. “We're looking to flip the script on that in playoffs here for sure. I think as long as we got all our bodies, we'll be able to do so.”
Game 2 is scheduled for Monday night in Carberry, with Game 3, if necessary, set for Wednesday in Portage. All games have a 6:45 p.m. start.
Extra rest could pay off
With the first-round bye, the Padres have had extra time to rest and reset.
Jago says the break has been welcome after a busy stretch to end the regular season.
“Especially late in the year when you're making up for rainouts and stuff, it can be a bit of a grind,” he continues. “It was good to get a little bit of time away from the ball diamond and enjoy summertime.”
He adds that now it’s time to get focused.
“Now it's kind of back to business here. We've got the playoffs to take care of,” Jago remarks. “Look forward to getting back together with the guys as we haven't seen much of each other in the last few weeks.”
Young arms stepping up
When it comes to standout players, Jago points to the club’s pitching staff.
“You look at our young guys for sure,” he says. “Tyler Olson, Chad Melnic, Kade Maryniuk, Rory Manns—all those young guys.”
Jago adds the team is grateful for the depth on the mound.
“They obviously carry a lot of the weight for us when they're doing the majority of the throwing,” he mentions. “It's been huge for us and able to have the young arms to allow us older guys to kind of just sit back and let them do their thing.”
He’s hoping fans come out to support them at home next week.
“Hopefully we can get some good crowds out to when we do have our home games,” Jago adds. “Hopefully it’s a good playoff run.”
The Padres have won 5 of the 8 league championships and six of the last nine pennants since 2016 and are aiming for their sixth championship.
Plumas hosts Game 1 Friday
Meanwhile, the Plumas Pirates and Neepawa Cubs kick off their semi-final matchup on Friday in Plumas. First pitch is at 6:45 p.m.
Game 2 goes Monday in Neepawa with Game 3 back in Plumas on Wednesday, if necessary.
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