CONCACAF Champions Leauge 2009-2010 Qualifying Update – 4/13

Well it’s another week closer to finding out more of the qualifiers for the CONCACAF Champions League… let’s see how things look.

USA

• Columbus (Group Stage)
• Houston (Group Stage)
• New York (Preliminary Stage)
• D.C. United (Preliminary Stage)

Mexico

• Deportivo Toluca (Group Stage)
• Cruz Azul (Preliminary Stage)

Pachuca got a big 3-1 win over Toluca this week and Universidad Nacional got a big 3-1 win over Puebla.  Both winners jumped the losers in the standings.

After 13 of 17 rounds in the Clausura, the top 8 are Pachuca, Deportivo Toluca, Universidad Nacional, Puebla, Monterrey, Atlas, Chiapas, and Club América.  If form holds, Pachuca and Universidad Nacional would be the top 2 teams favored to qualify.  Cruz Azul is in 16th place, and looks like they won’t be a factor.

Next week Guadalajara and Club América will play, with Guadalajara jumping into the top 8 with a win.

Costa Rica

• Saprissa

CS Cartaginés and CS Herediano tied keeping those teams 5 points apart.  Liberia Mia beat AD Ramonense on Sunday 1-0 to jump into a 4-way tie for 4th. Saprissa won 3-2 over Pérez Zeledón to move within 3 points of CS Herediano at the top (with a game in hand) and knocked Pérez Zeledón into that 4-way tie.

After 13 of 16 rounds, CS Herediano, Saprissa, CS Cartaginés, AD Ramonense/Puntarenas F.C/Liberia Mia/Pérez Zeledón would make the playoff, with CS Herediano favored to win the playoff and grab the 2nd Champions League spot.

Next week we see two of those 4th place teams square off when Puntarenas F.C. faces AD Ramonense.  We also see anonther game between CS Cartaginés and CS Herediano.

Honduras

• Marathon

After 14 of 18 rounds, Olimpia, Marathón, Real España, and Victoria are in qualifying position.  Olimpia is the favorite to get the 2nd Champions League spot.

Marathón will take on Platense (who is tied for 4th but loses on Goal Differential) on the 16th, and Olimpia play Real España on the 19th.

Guatemala

• Comunicaciones

Heredia defeated Deportivo Suchitepéquez 2-0, knocking them back to 7th place, while Jalapa beat Deportivo Zacapa 2-0, knocking them back to 5th.

After 11 of 18 rounds, Municipal, Jalapa, Deportivo Heredia, Club Xelajú MC, Deportivo Zacapa, and Comunicaciones are in qualifying position.  Municipal is the favorite to get the 2nd Champions League spot.

Next week Club Xelajú MC and Comunicaciones will faceoff in a top 6 matchup.

El Salvador

• Isidro Metapán

Nejapa beat Club Deportivo Águila 1-0, knocking them out of the top 4 into 5th place.

After 12 of 18 rounds, Isidro Metapán, Nejapa, Chalatenango, and Luis Angel Firpo are in qualifying position.  Isidro Metapán is the favorite to win the playoff, and Nejapa is in position to get the 2nd Champions League spot.

Next week Isidro Metapán and Chalatenango battle with Chalatenango able to catch Isidro Metapán with a win.

Panama

• Árabe Unido

Alianza F.C. and Atlético Chiriqui tied last Sunday 4-4.

After 7 of 18 rounds, Chorrillo F.C., Tauro FC, Atlético Chiriqui, and San Francisco are in qualifying position.  Chorillo FC is the favorite to win the playoff, and Árabe Unido is in 9th place at this point.

Nicaragua

In the hexagonal, where the top 4 teams will move on, after 2 of 6 rounds, Real Estelí, Deportivo Walter Ferretti, Xilotepelt, and Diriangén FC are in position to move on.

Caribbean Football Union

The CFU Club Championship continues Monday with the following ties having their first leg:

• San Juan Jabloteh (Trinidad and Tabago) vs. Inter Moengotapoe (Suriname)
• Hoppers (Antigua and Barbuda) vs. Tempête FC (Haiti)
• W Connection (Trinidad and Tabago) vs. Cavaly (Haiti)

D2 Softball – Conference Title Watch – 4/12

Conference Carolinas could be decided today! Read on to find out how….

Conference Carolinas

Mount Olive is your clubhouse leader having finished the season at 11-5.  Two teams are left on the course, and both need to reach 14-6 to win the title over Mount Olive.

Queens (N.C.) must win all 4 remaining games to have a shot at the conferencce title, and today they have to play two at Lees-McRae.  If they lose either game, they are out.

Limestone needs to win 2 games to knock Mount Olive off the top and clinch a share of the conference title.  They can do that by sweeping St. Andrew’s today at home.

Mount Olive now needs to see the following happen to stay in the lead and win the conference:

• See Queens (N.C.) go 3-1 or worse
• See Limestone go 1-3 or worse

If either of those don’t happen, they will be eliminated.

D2 Softball – 4/13

April 11th/12th Review

Atlantic Region

Bowie State @ Elizabeth City State – Bowie State wins 14-2, 14-4 (More info here)

Bowie State is definitely the best team in the East, and it looks like they will fight Fayetteville State for the postseason berth.

(#7) East Stroudsburg @ (#4) California (Pa.) – California (Pa.) wins 8-2, loses 6-7 (More info here)

East Stroudsburg will be helped by the win over California (Pa.) who has only lost 5 games all year.

(#1) Lock Haven @ (#10) Indiana (Pa.) – Lock Haven wins 9-0, 8-0 (More info here)

Indiana (Pa.) is probably in big trouble now sitting 7 games back and with a season record of 16-16.  Lock Haven gets a needed sweep to keep pace with Bloomsburg at 11-1.

East Region

New Haven @ Merrimack – Postponed until April 13th

New Haven is a game back of Merrimack and both are right at the top of the standings.  Great series here.

(#2) C.W. Post @ Southern New Hampshire – C.W. Post wins 6-2, 5-2 (More info here)

Southern New Hampshire loses a chance to get a nice out of conference win, for C.W. Post this was really a no-win situation… but they took care of business.

Midwest Region

(#3) Ashland @ (#7) Saginaw Valley State  - GLIAC GOTW – Saginaw Valley State wins 2-1, loses 5-6 (More info here)

Sagniaw Valley State missed a chance to extend their lead over Ashland and Ferris State takes advantage by moving within a game.

Quincy @ (#10) Kentucky Wesleyan – Quincy wins 3-1, 3-0

Quincy keeps pace, but Kentucky Wesleyan has to be off the rankings… right?  Quincy gets over .500 (20-19) with the sweep.

(#9) Northern Kentucky @ (#4) Missouri-St. Louis – GLVC GOTW – Missouri-St. Louis wins 2-0, 2-0 (More info here)

Missouri-St. Louis does what was expected and hold serve at the top of the standings.

South Region

(#1) Alabama Huntsville @ (#3) Valdosta State – GSC GOTW – Game of the Day- Valdosta State wins 4-2, loses 4-9 (More info here)

Alabama-Huntsville has now lost twice in a week, doubling their losses on the year.  And now they sit with one more loss than Valdosta State and no longer control their own destiny.

South Central Region

Tarleton State @ (#3) Abilene Christian – Ablene Christian wins 5-4 (More info here)

Abilene Christian moves back into a tie with Angelo State at the top of the South Division.

(#6) Midwestern State @ (#2) Southeastern Oklahoma State – LSC GOTW – Midwestern State wins 4-2 (10), loses 1-2 (More info here)

The win could be big for Midwestern State’s regional ranking, but in conference it means Southeastern Oklahoma State still only leads Cameron and Central Oklahoma by 1 game.

(#7) Central Missouri @ (#5) Missouri Western – MIAA GOTW – Central Missouri wins 4-0, 9-1 (More info here)

Well MIAA, the team to beat is Central Missouri who is now 10-0 on the year and only 8 wins from a perfect regular season.  They still have to go to Emporia State and host Nebraska-Omaha though, so this is far from over. Missouri Western will also stay in the thick of things at 8-2.

Southeast Region

(#5) Newberry @ (#10) Carson Newman – Carson-Newman wins 4-1, 7-2 (More info here)

Carson-Newman got a much needed sweep here which might help their regional ranking.

West Region

(#3) Cal State Stanislaus @ (#1) Humboldt State – Cal State Stanislaus wins 13-7, loses 0-5 (More info here)

Humboldt State will take the 3-1 series win, while Cal State Stanislaus really needed a better result falling to 12-12 in conference.

Western Oregon @ (#7) Montana State-Billings – Montana State Billings wins 5-2, loses 2-7.

Western Oregon is stil toast, but it was nice for them to get a victory here.

April 13th Preview

East Region

(#7) Bloomfield @ (#5) New York Institute of Technology – April 13^th – CACC GOTW

Both of these teams would love a regional boost before heading back to conference play, we’ll see if either one can do it.

(#9) Dominican (N.Y.) @ (#8) Queens (N.Y.) – April 13^th

This is a battle for the final spot in the East, we’ll see who might have the edge going into the final weeks.

New Haven @ Merrimack

New Haven is a game back of Merrimack and both are right at the top of the standings.  Great series here.

Southeast Region

(#1) North Georgia @ (#4) Georgia College – Game of the Day

North Georgia has already won the conference, but this is still a possible preview of the Conference Final and a great matchup.

(#3) Lenoir-Rhyne @ Mars Hill – April 13^th

Lenoir-Rhyne and Mars Hill’s conference records appear to be flipped at first, as Mars Hill was up 2 games going into this week.  We’ll see what happens on the field.

D2 Baseball – 4/13

April 11/12^th Review

Atlantic Region

Mercyhurst @ (#30) Slippery Rock – Merychurst wins 9-6, loses 9- 13 (More info here)

Mercyhurst was unable to get as much seperation as they wanted from Slippery Rock (only up 1 game), while they now trail California (Pa.) by 2 games.

Seton Hill @ Davis and Elkins – Seton Hall wins 6-4, loses 3-4 (More info here)

Seton Hill misses a chance to take the lead in the Northern Division, but with the weekend Davis and Elkins is now up a game in the Central Division.

West Virginia State @ Concord – West Virginia State wins 4-3, 4-2 (More info here)

West Virginia State now leads Concord by 4 games in the Southern Division, meaning it’s pretty much over already.

East Region

Nyack @ Wilmington (Del.) – Postponed until April 27th

UMass Lowell @ Southern Connecticut – Postponed until April 13th

UMass Lowell is only 1 game out but faces a tough series at a Southern Connecticut team who is only 3.5 games out but really can’t afford to fall any further back.

Bentley @ Saint Anselm – Postponed

Midwest Region

Rockhurst @ (#22) Southern Indiana - Rockhurst wins 3-5, loses 6-4, wins 6-0, loses 3-4

Well with the split nothing will change in the conference standings between these two.  Southern Indiana is on top by .5 games, but definitely advantage Rockhurst for getting the sweep on the road.

Northern Kentucky @ Indianapolis – Northern Kentucky wins 5-0, loses 2-3, loses 1-2 , wins 3-2 (More info here and here)

Indianapolis missed a chance to pull away from Northern Kentucky, however a 4 game margin is looking pretty safe at this point.

South Central Region

Southwestern Oklahoma @ (#25) Angelo State – Angelo State wins 3-2, 13-3 (More info here)

Angelo State remains 3 games back of Abilene Christian, hoping they make a mistake to jump on.

Southeastern Region

Limestone @ Mount Olive – Mount Olive wins 17-4 (More info here)

This is what I get for not paying close enough attention… the regular season is over for Mount Olive!  They end up the #2 seed in the conference tournament.  Limestone gets the #6 seed.

(#29) Barton @ (#21) Erksine – Game of the Day – Barton wins 5-4, loses 0-5 (More info here)

Well since they swept, they stay near each other and Barton gets the #3 seed in the conference tournament, Erksine the #4 seed… rematch next week?

(#8) Georgia College @ Columbus State – PBC GOTW – Georgia College wins 5-4, loses 4-6 (10) (More info here)

Georgia College probably doesn’t need to worry about Columbus State (3.5 games back), but they will have their eye on another team…

Augusta State @ (#24) South Carolina Aiken – South Carolina Aiken wins 3-2, 8-5 (More info here)

South Carolina Aiken got the sweep they needed and are only a game out now thanks to Georgia College’s split.

April 13^th Preview

East Region

(#14) West Chester @ Wilmington (Del.)

Wilmington (Del.) is a middle of the pack team in the CACC, but have a great chance to pick up a big non-conference win here.

Southern Connecticut @ UMass Lowell

UMass Lowell is only 1 game out but faces a tough series at a Southern Connecticut team who is only 3.5 games out but really can’t afford to fall any further back.

Saint Anslem @ Bentley – Game of the Day

Great matchup near the top where Bentley is .5 games out and 1 game ahead of Saint Anslem.

D2 Softball – Conference Title Watch – 4/12

Did we see our first conference title clinched on Saturday?  Read on to find out…  We’ll preview Monday’s important games in Conference Carolinas later today.

Lone Star Conference

Southeastern Oklahoma State knocked off Midwestern State in the 2nd game of their doubleheader, knocking Midwestern State out of contention and narrowing the LSC race to 3 teams.  April 14th could be the day for Southeastern Oklahoma State when they could clinch a share of the title depending on how the games between Cameron and Central Oklahoma play out.

Conference Carolinas

Mount Olive is your clubhouse leader having finished the season at 11-5.  Two teams are left on the course, and all need to reach 14-6 to win the title over Mount Olive.

Queens (N.C.) split with Anderson (S.C.) on Saturday. Queens must now win all 4 of their remaining games to have a chance to win the conference title.

Both Queens (N.C.) and Limestone will be back in action on Monday April 13th.

Mount Olive now needs to see the following happen to stay in the lead and win the conference:

• See Queens (N.C.) go 3-1 or worse
• See Limestone go 1-3 or worse

If any of those don’t happen, they will be eliminated.

Peach Belt Conference

North Georgia is the first team in the country to clinch a conference title as they clinched the conference title on Saturday by sweeping Georgia Southwestern. (More info here)

D2 Softball and Baseball – 4/12

Well considering there is only one Softball game I’ve got my eye on today and 2 baseball games, it’s a lot easier to just cover these all in one post… we’ll recap the 11th and 12th together.

Baseball

Northern Kentucky @ Indianapolis

Rockhurst @ (#22) Southern Indiana – GLVC GOTW

These two series began yesterday and will finish today.  We’ll just cover the entire series in the recap tomorrow.

Here was the previews for the series.

Rockhurst is just a .5 game back of Southern Indiana in the West.  This is a big series to see who the top team in the Division is.

Indianapolis has a chance to pull away from a Northern Kentucky team who is 3 games behind them.

Softball

(#9) Northern Kentucky @ (#4) Missouri-St. Louis – GLVC GOTW

This game was originally scheduled for Friday, and here’s the preview that was written then.

Missouri-St. Louis is alone at the top. Northern Kentucky is a surprise regionaly ranked team to me who doesn’t seem to have much going on.  If they do want to make the tourney they need to move up and this would be a good chance for a big win.

D2 Softball – Conference Title Watch – 4/11

Well our one chance to see a Conference clinched Friday got pushed back til Saturday… we’ll see what happens this time.

Lone Star Conference

Midwestern State is just barely hanging on at 10-8.  If they lose tomorrow to Southeastern Oklahoma State, the current leader, they will be eliminated.  Southeastern Oklahoma State could clinch the title by Tuesday.

Conference Carolinas

Mount Olive is your clubhouse leader having finished the season at 11-5.  Two teams are left on the course, and all need to reach 14-6 to win the title over Mount Olive.

Pfeiffer’s series with Anderson (S.C.) was cancelled.  As a result they are knocked out of contention for the conference title.

Limestone split with Erksine on Friday.   Limestone continues to control their own destiny and gets to take the next step on April 13th.  They must go 3-1 in the final 4 games to clinch a share of the conference and title and 4-0 to clinch the conference title outright.

Queens (N.C.) will host Anderson (S.C.) on Friday. If Queens gets swept, they will be eliminated.

Mount Olive now needs to see the following happen to stay in the lead and win the conference:

• See Queens (N.C.) go 4-2 or worse
• See Limestone go 1-3 or worse

If any of those don’t happen, they will be eliminated.

Peach Belt Conference

Tomorrow could be the day for North Georgia as they travel to Georgia Southwestern for two games.  North Georgia is currently up 2 games on Georgia College and will clinch a share of the conference title with a split in this series, and the outright conference title with 2 wins.

D2 Softball – 4/11

4/10 Preview

Atlantic Region

Virginia State @ Fayetteville State –  CIAA GOTW – Fayetteville State wins 3-2, 1-0 (More info here)

Fayetteville State appears to be the class of the CIAA and is now 13-1 in conference.

(#6) West Chester @ (#7) East Stroudsburg – East Sroudsburg wins 5-4 (8), loses 5-8 (More info here)

East Stroudsburg maintains their one game lead on West Chester for the 3rd spot in the East.

East Region

Pace @ (#6) Southern Connecticut State – Southern Connecticut State wins 5-4 (10), loses 3-4 (More info here)

Southern Connecticut State would have preferred a sweep, but this split keeps them around in NE-10 play.

American International @ Southern New Hampshire – American International wins 3-2, 4-3 (More info here)

Southern New Hampshire really dropped the ball here and is probably too far back now.  American International’s sweep brings them closer, but I think they are still too far back.

Midwest Region

(#3) Ashland @ (#2) Wayne State (Mich.) – Ashland wins 1-0, 5-4 (More info here and here)

Ashland now is in 2nd in the GLIAC and has put a big statement up about who should be the #2 team in the region.

(#9) Northern Kentucky @ (#4) Missouri-St. Louis –  GLVC GOTW – Postponed until April 12th

South Region

(#1) Alabama Huntsville @ (#4) West Florida – Game of the Day – West Florida wins 4-3 (11), loses 0-2 (More info here)

The first game was 1-1 going into the 11th, lots of drama! Unfortunately the split leaves West Florida 4 games behind Alabama Huntsville meaning they don’t really have a shot at catching them, but the win has to give them some confidence heading towards the postseason.

(#8) Tampa @ (#6) Rollins –  SSC GOTW – Tampa wins 9-7, loses 1-2 (8) (More info here)

Tampa ended up losing this series, something they really couldn’t afford to do considering Rollin’s lack of conference success before this series, and is now a game out at the top.

(#5) Nova Southeastern @ (#10) Barry – Nova Southeastern wins 6-4, 6-4 (More info here)

Nova Southeastern’s series win leaves them only 1.5 games out, while Barry falls to 3.5 games out.

South Central Region

Tarleton State @ (#3) Abilene Christian – Abilene Christian wins 12-10, 4-1 (More info here)

Abilene Christian pushes the gap with West Texas A&M to 3.5 games and it appears to be Abilene and Angelo State for the title.  Angelo is currently .5 games up.

Southeast Region

(#5) Newberry @ (#10) Carson Newman – Postponed until Saturday

West Region

(#3) Cal State Stanislaus @ (#1) Humboldt State – CCAA GOTW – Humboldt State wins 6-3, 7-6 (More info here)

Humboldt State gets a big sweep here to rebound off a tough week.

Western Oregon @ (#7) Montana State-Billings – Montana State-Billings wins 2-1, 4-2 (More info here)

Montana State-Billings is now up 5.5 games on Western Oregon.

4/11 Preview

Atlantic Region

Bowie State @ Elizabeth City State

Bowie State appears to be the best team in the Eastern Division, but Elizabeth City State is only 2.5 games out and might have something to say about that.

(#7) East Stroudsburg @ (#4) California (Pa.)

This won’t count for conference standings, but East Stroudsburg is in need of big wins to help their regional ranking and California (Pa.) would sure be a big one.

(#1) Lock Haven @ (#10) Indiana (Pa.)

This matchup in the Central sees Lock Haven risk their Central Division lead against an Indian (Pa.) team who is desperate for a big win to try to climb back into the playoff picture.

East Region

New Haven @ Merrimack

New Haven is a game back of Merrimack and both are right at the top of the standings.  Great series here.

(#2) C.W. Post @ Southern New Hampshire

It’s a non-conference series, but Southern New Hampshire gets a great team in for a chance to get a marquee win.

Midwest Region

(#3) Ashland @ (#7) Saginaw Valley State  - GLIAC GOTW

Sagniaw Valley State is sitting pretty at the top and now has a 2 game lead on Ashland and Ferris State.  They could really put Ashland in some trouble with a sweep here.  On the other hand, Ashland can tie things up with a sweep.

Quincy @ (#10) Kentucky Wesleyan

Quincy is only .5 games back, but they face a road trip to a Kentucky Wesleyan team who is 11th in the GLVC and 10th in the region…. what?!

South Region

(#1) Alabama Huntsville @ (#3) Valdosta State – GSC GOTW – Game of the Day

Alabama-Huntsville picked up a rare loss and now enters this series tied with Valdosta State… This series will probably determine the East Division winner, and with how these two teams have played, I think Alabama-Huntsville will need to sweep them, I think a split favors Valdosta State.

South Central Region

Tarleton State @ (#3) Abilene Christian

Tarleton State is as good as toast 4.5 games out, but Abilene Christian really needs this one only a .5 game back.

(#6) Midwestern State @ (#2) Southeastern Oklahoma State – LSC GOTW

Midwestern State is a full 5 games back now, but it’s still a challenge for a Southeastern Oklahoma State team who is only 1 game clear at the top.

(#7) Central Missouri @ (#5) Missouri Western – MIAA GOTW

Central Missouri and Missouri Western, one of these two will finally pick up their first conference loss… maybe both.  Great match up.  Emporia State and Nebraska-Omaha are probably rooting for a split so they can stay 1 game back in the loss column of both teams.

Southeast Region

(#5) Newberry @ (#10) Carson Newman

Newberry is right in the thick of things as far as the conference title goes, but Carson-Newman is middling at 5-5.  They really need to get some big wins to try and move into the top 8, and this is a great chance for them here today.

West Region

(#3) Cal State Stanislaus @ (#1) Humboldt State

Humboldt State looks to be back in form and are in good shape.  Cal State Stanislaus needs to try and improve their conference record, which is much worse than their regional ranking would lead you to imagine.

Western Oregon @ (#7) Montana State-Billings

Western Oregon is basically toast, but Montana State-Billings needs to keep winning to keep Central Washington at bay.

D2 Baseball – 4/11

April 10^th Review

Atlantic Region

(#30) Slippery Rock @ Mercyhurst –  PSAC GOTW – Mercyhurst wins 3-2 (8), 6-0 (More info here)

Mercyhurst has now overtaken Slippery Rock in the Western Division with a great home sweep here.

West Virginia State @ Concord –  WVIAC GOTW – West Virginia State wins 4-2, loses 4-11 (More info here)

Concord picked up a big win in the 2nd game to get back to within 2 games of West Virginia State.

West Virginia Wesleyan @ Fairmont State – Fairmont State wins 5-3, loses 5-9 (More info here)

Fairmont State remains one game ahead of West Virginia Wesleyan after these two games.

East Region

Wilmington (Del.) @ Nyack – CACC GOTW – Wilmington (Del.) wins 3-1 (More info here)

Big win for Wilmington (Del.) who moves into a tie with Nyack in the middle of the standings.

Bentley @ Franklin Pierce – Franklin Pierce wins 14-4 (More info here)

Franklin Pierce jumps past Bentley at the top of the NE-10 standings now.

Midwest Region

Rockhurst @ (#22) Southern Indiana – GLVC GOTW – Postponed til Sunday

South Region

(#7) Barry @ (#1) Florida Southern – SSC GOTW – Game of the Day – Florida Southern wins 8-7, loses 2-15 (More info here)

Barry came through with a major win in a major tourble spot today.  They were in danger of being swept and falling 3 games back of Florida Southern (a result that would have pretty much ended the conference race).  Instead they stay in things only 1 game back.

South Central Region

St. Mary’s @ St. Edward’s – HC GOTW – St. Mary’s wins 15-9, loses 10-11 (10)

St. Edward’s absolutely had to have that 2nd game and they got it.  They are still a game back of St. Mary’s, and now trail Texas-Permian Basin by 2 games.

Southwestern Oklahoma @ (#25) Angelo State – LSC GOTW – Angelo State wins 7-3, 12-2 (More info here)

Angelo State is now 3 games back of Abilene Christian, they need to finish the sweep tomorrow now.

Southeastern Region

Limestone @ Mount Olive – Mount Olive wins 11-4, 2-1 (More info here)

Mount Olive still has a chance to catch Belmont Abbey (they trail by 2 games).  Limestone is going to be too far back.

(#29) Barton @ (#21) Erksine –  CC GOTW – Barton wins 12-8 (More info here)

Barton’s win moves them within 1.5 games of Belmont Abbey.  Erskine’s loss drops them 2.5 games out.

(#8) Georgia College @ Columbus State – Georgia College wins 9-8 (more info here)

Georgia College now leads Columbus State by 3.5 games.

Augusta State @ (#24) South Carolina Aiken – South Carolina Aiken wins 21-9 (More info here)

South Carolina Aiken keeps pace with Georgia College, still 2 games out.

April 11^th Preview

Atlantic Region

Mercyhurst @ (#30) Slippery Rock

Mercyhurst is only 1 game back of California (Pa.) and could help make this a 2 team race by finishing off Slippery Rock tomorrow (they trail Califonia (Pa.) by 2 games).

Seton Hill @ Davis and Elkins

Good matchup between the top team in the Central (Davis and Elkins) and the #2 team in the North (Seton Hill), but it won’t

West Virginia State @ Concord

West Virginia State leads Concord by 2 games and could extend the lead to 4 games today.

East Region

Wilmington (Del.) @ Nyack

Nyack leads the conference and Wlimington (Del.) is only 2 games back, but a lot of teams are right in it.  This is a big chance for them.

UMass Lowell @ Southern Connecticut

UMass Lowell is only 1 game out but faces a tough series at a Southern Connecticut team who is only 3.5 games out but really can’t afford to fall any further back.

Bentley @ Saint Anselm

Bentley is now .5 games out, and needs to pick up these wins against a Saint Anslem team who is also in need of wins 1.5 games out.

Midwest Region

Rockhurst @ (#22) Southern Indiana

Rockhurst is just a .5 game back of Southern Indiana in the West.  This is a big series to see who the top team in the Division is.

Northern Kentucky @ Indianapolis

Indianapolis has a chance to pull away from a Northern Kentucky team who is 3 games behind them.

South Central Region

Southwestern Oklahoma @ (#25) Angelo State

Angelo State needs a sweep here to keep their chances of catching Abilene Christian.

Southeastern Region

Limestone @ Mount Olive

Limestone is about out of things, and Mount Olive is still in and looks to finish the sweep here.

(#29) Barton @ (#21) Erksine – Game of the Day

Barton’s only 1.5 games out, and Erksine is 2 games out.  These game are huge for both teams who need to keep pace with Belmont Abbey.

(#8) Georgia College @ Columbus State – PBC GOTW

Georgia College can put Columbus State away with a sweep (they are already 3.5 games ahead).

Augusta State @ (#24) South Carolina Aiken

Augusta State is probably done (3.5 games behind), but South Carolina Aiken is only 2 games behind and must keep pace today.

D2 Softball – Conference Title Watch – 4/10

No one was able to clinch a Conference or Divisional Title on Thursday, but we might see one on Friday…

Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s Eastern Division

Kutztown and Shippensburg split on Thursday, so Kutztown was unable to clinch the Eastern Divisional Title.  These two teams are off from conference play until Tuesday April 14th.  On that date Kutztown will again have a chance to clinch the East Divisional Title when they play at East Stroudsburg.  Shippensburg will also play that day at home, hosting Millersville.

Conference Carolinas

Mount Olive is your clubhouse leader having finished the season at 11-5.  Three teams are left on the course, and all need to reach 14-6 to win the title over Mount Olive.

Pfeiffer swept Belmont Abbey on Thursday.  Pfeiffer now will host Anderson (S.C.) (3-9 in conference) on Friday.  If they win both games, they will knock Mount Olive off the top spot and become the new clubhouse leader.  If they lose either game they will be eliminated from conference title contention.

Queens (N.C.) swept Barton on Thursday meaning they are still in contention for the conference title.  They will play again on April 11th.

Limestone swept Anderson (S.C.) on Thursday.  Limestone continues to control their own destiny and gets to take the next step tomorrow when they travel to Erksine.  They must go 4-2 in the final 6 games to clinch a share of the conference and title and 5-1 to clinch the conference title outright.

Mount Olive now needs to see the following happen to stay in the lead and win the conference:

• See Pfeiffer go 1-1 or worse
• See Queens (N.C.) go 4-2 or worse
• See Limestone go 2-4 or worse

If any of those don’t happen, they will be eliminated.

So after tomorrow we’ll be down to 3 contenders.  Pfeiffer or Mount Olive, who will it be?  Pfeiffer is definitely my pick to stick around.

Peach Belt Conference

Tomorrow could be the day for North Georgia as they travel to Georgia Southwestern for two games.  North Georgia is currently up 2 games on Georgia College and will clinch a share of the conference title with a split in this series, and the outright conference title with 2 wins.