The Leland and St. Mary baseball teams are just one well-timed win away from playing each other three times in a span of three days.

The former Cherryland Conference rivals — Leland and Buckley bolted from the Cherryland Conference to the Northwest this season — will meet in a non-conference doubleheader today, and could play again Saturday in the Leelanau County Classic.

But Suttons Bay and Glen Lake will have something to say first. The Bay will take on host Leland at Hancock Field at 9 a.m. Saturday, with St. Mary and Glen Lake taking the field at 11:15 a.m. The consolation game is slated to start at 1:30 p.m. with the championship game starting around 3:45 p.m.
In softball, St. Mary and Suttons Bay play at 9 a.m. with Glen Lake and Leland taking the field for the second time this week at 11:15 p.m.

The consolation and championship games take place at the same time as the baseball afternoon games.

For first-year Leland softball varsity coach Joe Nedow, playing in the second game of the day is a good spot for his team. “We won’t have to wait all day to see what happens. We know Glen Lake is tough and the girls are playing well,” he said.

St. Mary coach Ed Merica said he is a little concerned about scheduling should his team win the first game. “We’re playing at 9 a.m. If we win, the championship game doesn’t start until a quarter to four in the afternoon. That is a long time between games,” he said.

The first three games will be played to six innings, with no new innings starting after the one hour and 45-minute mark. The championship game will be seven innings with no time limit.