Playoff bid alive, but ’Cats need help

It’s all coming down to the final day of the season.

The Tri-City ValleyCats kept their playoff hopes alive with a 3-0 victory over the host Washington Wild Things on Saturday in a Frontier League clash.

Equipe Quebec won its game 10-1 over the Sussex County Miners on Saturday to maintain its one game advantage in the race for the Atlantic Division crown. On Sunday, Tri-City needs another win over Washington and an Equipe Quebec loss to Sussex County to force a tie atop the division. The ValleyCats would then earn the playoff berth as it holds the tie-breaker after holding an 8-7 season series lead over Equipe Quebec.

Tri-City will most likely know if it has a chance when they hit the field Sunday as Equipe Quebec and Sussex County begin at 2:05 p.m. while the ValleyCats and Wild Things start later at 5:35 p.m.

Tri-City received a strong pitching performance to position it for the postseason chance as starter Josh Hiatt and relievers Patrick Murphy, Francisco Jimenez and Trey Cochran-Gill all combined to stymie Washington’s bats.

Juan Silverio smacked a solo home run in the second to put the ‘Cats on the board and Jake Barbee added an RBI single in the fifth to give Tri-City some breathing room.

Luis Roman clubbed his fifth homer of the year in the eighth to seal the win.

Silverio finished the night 2-for-4 including his 16th blast of the season and Murphy tossed three innings of relief, striking out five without allowing a hit or a walk, to earn the win.