Lake Superior Sea Dogs

07/30/2013 - Padres Qualify for WBA Playoffs

by Max Mercy

 

HALLIE, Wis. -- The Duluth Padres have qualified for the 65th annual Wisconsin Baseball Association playoffs and will travel to Osceola, Wis., on Aug. 10 to face the Beef River Bullfrogs at 11:00 a.m., it was announced after the WBA Playoffs seeding meeting in Hallie on Tuesday night.

 

Duluth (11-13 overall) finished the Upper 13 League season with a 9-3 record, the same as the league champion Ashland Merchants, but Ashland won two of three games against Duluth to claim the league pennant. Duluth received a #2 seed in its bracket and Beef River is the #3 seed. Beef River finished fifth out of six teams in the South Division of the Chippewa Rivers League, with a 12-8 record, but were seventh out of 12 teams overall in the league.

 

The winner advances to face the Grantsburg/Osceola winner at noon on Sun., Aug. 11 at Osceola.

 

The Ashland Merchants received a #1 seed and travel to Rib Lake to take on the #4 seed Interwald Woodticks on Aug. 10 at 3:00 p.m. The Upper 13 League's Ashland Lumberjacks face the Haugen Hornets in a play-in game. The winner takes a #4 seed at Coon Valley and will play against the Sparta Miller on Aug. 10 at 3:30 p.m.

 

The tournament is single-elimination and features 32 teams from six leagues. Teams with two wins in the semi-finals weekend advance to the WBA Finals, held at Osceola on Aug. 16-18.

 

The Padres, established in 2007, are making their second consecutive WBA Playoffs appearance and third overall appearance. Last year, they lost in the first round to the Whittlesey Reds at Rib Lake. In 2008, the then-Proctor Padres lost in the first round to the Brill Millers at Haugen.

 

The top hitters for Duluth are Corey Pavlich (Duluth Denfeld HS) (.261), Ryan McCarthy (Proctor HS, Mesabi Range CC) (.250), and Nick Moran (Duluth Denfeld HS, Hibbing CC) (.239). Duluth's pitchers are Jesse Olson (Hermantown HS, Hibbing CC) (3-6, 4.87 ERA), Anthony Bush (Proctor HS, Wisconsin-Superior) (4-4, 4.29 ERA), and Jake Lewis (Proctor HS, Wisconsin-Superior) (2-0, 0.50 ERA).

 

Click here for full playoffs schedule.