ZooKeepers aim for spot in new CPL playoff format

Davis Germann had key production at the plate for the Asheboro ZooKeepers during the past week. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record)

ASHEBORO — The Coastal Plain League’s new playoff format could impact the Asheboro ZooKeepers as they’re a contending team in the West Division.

The revised format, which was unveiled last fall, will involve six playoff teams – three in each division.

The ZooKeepers entered the last week of the regular season in fourth place.

The first round will be single-elimination with the second-place and third-place teams in each division playing, with the No. 2 seeds the hosts Aug. 3.

The winner will take on the divisional champion in a best-of-3 series Aug. 5-7, with the single-elimination winner the host for Game 1. The regular-season divisional champion will be home for Game 2 and, if necessary, Game 3.

The two division champions meet in the CPL championship series Aug. 9-11, beginning with Game 1 at the team with the lower winning percentage and the rest of the best-of-3 series at the higher-seeded team.

CPL commissioner Chip Allen said the altered format largely stemmed from last year when a team with the best overall record in a division was left out of the postseason because it didn’t win either half of the split-season format.

With the CPL regular season consisting of fewer than 50 games, a split season wasn’t necessary and that also led to unbalanced schedules in terms of who a certain team might face in each half.

The regular season ends Saturday with Asheboro visiting the High Point-Thomasville HiToms. The ZooKeepers’ home finale is scheduled for Friday night vs. the Forest City Owls.

The Owls entered this week in first place in the West Division, followed by the Lexington County Blowfish and Boone Bigfoots.

ZooKeepers stay in contention

Asheboro went 3-2 in a week-long span, capped by Sunday’s 13-7 home victory against the Martinsville Mustangs.

But with a 23-20 record and in fourth place, there was work to do to qualify for the postseason.

Hunter Atkins, a Catawba outfielder from Randleman, rejoined the ZooKeepers to help with relief pitching after it appeared his season was done because of a heel ailment. He notched a save with two shutout innings in a 5-3 victory at Martinsville after Billy Rozakis logged seven innings.

In an 11-10 home victory against the High Point-Thomasville HiToms, Nick O’Brien’s two-run single capped a six-run 10th inning. Davis Germann drove in four runs and collected four hits.

Germann homered in Asheboro’s 10-5 road setback to Lexington County on Saturday. He drove in two more runs in Sunday’s 13-7 home victory against Martinsville, with David McGeorge working 5 1/3 innings of relief without allowing an earned run.