Rain cancels final day of Al Ice Woodbat Classic

Dejvu sometimes can be as miserable as a rainy day.

The Lawrence Raiders’ chance at winning the Al Ice Memorial Woodbat Classic, like last year, was washed away when persistent rain canceled the final day.

The Raiders went 2-1 in pool play and were seeded fourth heading into the semifinals. The promising thing was, the Raiders had three of their top pitchers — Tyson Corley, Aaron Madill and Jake Hoover — rested and ready to work in Sunday’s final day at Hoglund Ballpark.

Instead, the tournament placings were decided by round-robin play, with the Raiders finishing fourth. Tulsa (Okla.) Memorial won with a 3-0 record. It beat Lawrence, 5-3, Saturday.

“It’s disappointing,” Raiders coach Reggie Christiansen said. “We felt that with Madill and Corley and Hoover all fresh, we had a good chance. But that’s the way it goes.”

The Raiders (17-8) will continue their busy schedule with a full week of road games, starting with a 6 p.m. doubleheader today at St. Joseph’s (Mo.) Post 359. They’ll play a doubleheader Tuesday at Manhattan, then start the Bartlesville, Okla., holiday tournament Thursday.