South Division playoffs will come down to the wire

As this is being written, most of the teams in the California League’s South Division have 23 games remaining and there’s a decent shot it’ll come down to the final few games to decide the final two playoff spots.

Assuming Lancaster wins the second half (and they have a 3 1/2 game lead currently and are the most consistent team in the division), there are two spots up for grabs.

RIght now, Lake Elsinore (56-61)  and the 66ers (55-62) are the leaders, but the Quakes (54-63) and Mavericks (52-65) aren’t far behind.

One team might drop out of the running, but it seems likely at least three teams will be battling for those final two spots.

The Quakes missed a golden chance at a win Friday, letting a 6-2 eighth inning lead slip away with a six-run frame in an 8-6 loss to Lancaster.

Ryan Mount, Abel Nieves and Efren Navarro had two hits apiece for the Quakes.

The Sixers held on for a surprisingly low-scoring 5-4 win over the Mavericks. They will need to win a lot of low-scoring games to remain in the hunt for the playoffs.