ITL playoffs set, begin this weekend
The Intertown Twilight Baseball League playoffs are set, and both Cape Ann squads are once again in the semifinal field. The best-of-three semifinals begin on Sunday with the top four teams competing.
The Rowley Rams earned the top seed in the regular season and have earned home field advantage throughout. The Rams take on the defending ITL champion Manchester Essex Mariners, the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. Game 1 is on Sunday at Eiras Park in Rowley (5 p.m.) with Game 2 on Monday at Memorial Park in Essex (5:30 p.m.) and Game 3 back at Eiras Park on Wednesday (5:30 p.m.) if necessary.
The Hamilton Generals earned the No. 2 seed and will take on the third-seeded Rockport Townies in the other best-of-three semifinal. That series begins on Sunday at Patton Park in Hamilton (5 p.m.) with Game 2 on Tuesday at Evans Field in Rockport (7 p.m.) and Game 3 back at Patton Park on Wednesday (5:30 p.m.) if necessary.
The Manchester Essex Mariners and Rockport Townies have combined to win 35 of the last 40 ITL titles, but this year both teams will have to go on the road in the semifinals to reach the finals.
The Mariners finished the regular season with a record of 10-7-2 and will be facing the Rowley Rams in the semifinals for the second season in a row. The Mariners won the 2021 series en route to the ITL title. The Rams, on the other hand, won the 2020 ITL crown over the Mariners and finished the regular season with a league best record of 16-4. The two teams met just last week and split a home-and-home series.
Rockport, on the other hand, is looking to get back to the ITL Finals for the first time since winning the championship in 2018. The Townies enter the playoffs with a record of 13-6-1 and will be playing the Generals in the semifinals for the second season in a row. Hamilton won the best-of-three series in three games last season. The Generals finished the regular season with a 14-5 record, good enough to earn home field advantage in the opening round. Hamilton is searching for its first ITL crown since 1991.
The best-of-five ITL Finals are set to open up next weekend.
