CLASS B League full of close races

The league title and Connie Mack berths are up for grabs.
By PAUL TRGOVAC
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
STRUTHERS -- With only five nights remaining in the Class B League, one of the most exciting finishes in league history is possible.
Six teams are alive in the hunt for the five Connie Mack spots and five of the teams are alive in the league's four-team playoff race, which is slated to begin on Thursday.
League leader Wharmby Sports and second-place Astro Falcons have clinched Mack berths, while Livi Steel, Joe Koch Construction/Line Drive and Mink Financial can clinch with a win or two this weekend.
Rondinelli Tuxedo is still alive at 11-11, but would need to win out and get help from others to get into the Mack.
Favorable schedule
The race for the playoffs is even closer. Wharmby appears to be in the best shape as the first-place team only faces one of the top five teams in its last five games, that being Astro on the final night of the regular season.
Second-place Astro may have the second-hardest road to the playoffs. The Falcons face three of the top five in the last five games, with games against Mink today and Livi on Saturday.
Livi also has three games in the top five. In addition to the game against Astro, Livi faces Koch/Line Drive on Monday and ends the season against Mink on Wednesday. Koch/Line Drive plays Livi and Mink on Saturday.
The hardest road has to be for Mink, which plays four of the top five teams in its last five contests. Mink's other game is against sixth-place Rondinelli.
Rondinelli faces two of the teams ahead of it in its last five games -- Koch/Line Drive today and Mink on Monday.
The top four teams will play a best-of-three series, with the first-place finisher facing the fourth-place team, and the second- and third-place squads squaring off.
The two remaining teams then will play a best-of-five series for the 2004 Class B title.
If there is a tie for either fourth or fifth place, there will be a playoff to determine the spots.
Connie Mack/Mickey Mantle
The AABC Ohio State Connie Mack State Tournament will be at Cene Park on July 17-22.
The Class B League also will host the Ohio Mickey Mantle State Tournament (15-16) on July 13-16 and also an NABF Regional (under 19) from July 23-26. The winner of the NABF Regional here last year from Pittsburgh went on to win the NABF World Series.