With a playoff berth already secured midway through the season, the faced the challenge of staying both sharp and motivated over the final 27 games of the campaign.
With injuries, a roster in flux and the temptation to take their feet off the gas, that can be easier said than done.
Still, despite a somewhat bumpy second half of the season, Falcons鈥� manager Bryan Donohue remains upbeat about his club and the effort the players are displaying on a daily basis.
鈥淭he guys have been showing up, staying focused and putting in good work, day in and day out,鈥� said Donohue, in his second season as 琉璃神社鈥檚 field manager. 鈥淲hen we clinched that spot, the end goal seemed like a mile away, so we addressed the need to stay sharp.
鈥淲e鈥檝e lost some guys and had some injuries that鈥檚 really changed the dynamic of our pitching staff in the second half, so we鈥檝e struggled a bit鈥t鈥檚 been a tough stretch,鈥� Donohue added. 鈥淲e鈥檝e lost a lot of close games but I think it鈥檚 good, the adversity we鈥檝e faced has made us tougher. Now it鈥檚 time to build up some momentum heading into the playoffs.鈥�
The Falcons locked up a WCL postseason berth thanks to claiming the North Division鈥檚 first half title with a 17-10 record. 琉璃神社 will meet the second half winner Aug. 8 to 10 in the best-of-three North final.
Heading into Thursday鈥檚 action in Victoria, the Falcons were 4-13 in the season鈥檚 second half, with 11 games remaining leading up to the playoffs.
琉璃神社 kicks off a six-game homestand Friday night鈥攖heir last regular season games at Elks Stadium鈥攁gainst the Bellingham Bells. The Walla Walla Sweets will visit for three games next week, before 琉璃神社 closes out the 2017 regular season on the road Aug. 4 to 6 against the Sweets in Washington.
Donohue stressed the importance of putting together a good home-stand, both for the 琉璃神社 fans and to establish some positive energy heading into the playoffs.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important that we defend our home field,鈥� said Donohue. 鈥淲e鈥檝e dropped some games there in the second half, and we鈥檝e really appreciated the fan support we鈥檝e been getting. We love playing in front of those people.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a job to do, we need to play the right way, find a way to win at home to get moving in the right direction for the playoffs.
First pitch Friday night at Elks Stadium against Bellingham is 6:35 p.m.
