I guess the coaches had it right.
In their preseason prospectus reports, the baseball coaches in the 4A Greater St. Helens League predicted a competitive league season in which any one team could beat another on any given day.
With a little more than two weeks left in the league season — can that be right?!? — the coaches’ premonition is spot on.
Entering this week, Battle Ground and Camas share first place in the 4A GSHL at 8-4. Mountain View and Skyview are a game back — the Thunder are 6-4, the Storm are 7-5.
The reason for the imbalance in number of games can be found in the league schedule.
Each team in the league plays every other team three times each. In the first round of league play, each team plays every other team once. But after that, teams play opponents on back-to-back dates.
For example, after playing its first six league games, Battle Ground played twice against Skyview, then twice against Camas and twice against Mountain View, and so on.
So in the latter portion of the league schedule, Mountain View has already had its double-bye. Battle Ground, Camas and Skyview have not.
Here’s another quirk in the schedule. Battle Ground will complete its league schedule having played the other top teams in the league three times already.
The Tigers have won two of three over Camas, giving Battle Ground a tiebreaker edge. The Tigers hold a similar edge over Skyview, however Mountain View holds the tiebreaker edge over Battle Ground.
While Camas still has two games coming against Mountain View, and Skyview has two games each against Camas and Mountain View, Battle Ground will round out league play with games against the bottom three teams in the league — Union (5-5), Heritage (3-9) and Evergreen (2-8).
But remember what we said about any team could beat another on any given day? That has also proven to be true, so don’t think the Tigers will coast to the league crown.
This week’s schedule is full of action for 4A GSHL baseball, with games slated for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, including Camas vs. Skyview on Wednesday and Friday.
The week ahead
• On Monday, R.A. Long (4-1) plays at Ridgefield (4-1) as those teams try to keep pace with first-place Hockinson (5-1).
• In Trico baseball, first-place Kalama (5-1) plays a doubleheader at second-place King’s Way Christian (4-2) on Tuesday, then hosts a single game vs. the Knights on Friday.
• In 4A GSHL softball, Battle Ground (4-0) wraps up the first-half of its league schedule by hosting Camas (3-1).
• In 2A GSHL soccer, Ridgefield (6-1) and R.A. Long (6-1) play for first place Thursday in Longview. The Spudders won the first meeting 3-0 on March 28.
• On Monday, Union hosts the Titan Cup, a girls golf event that follows a format similar to the Ryder Cup. Play begins at 9 a.m. at Tri-Mountain Golf Course.
