The top four teams in the regular season won playoffs series on the weekend and earned the right to play for the B.C. Premier (18U) Baseball League championship in Kelowna beginning on Friday.

Claiming best-of-three preliminary series victories on the weekend and a berth in the ‘Final Four’ at Elks Stadium were the Langley Blaze, Abbotsford Cardinals, North Twins and Victoria Mariners, the latter defeating the Kelowna-based Okanagan Athletics in two of three games in Victoria.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowAdam Sarafinchan contributed significantly both defensively and offensively in three-game playoff.The Athletics, fifth-place finishers in the regular season with a 30-18 record, will also compete for the provincial championship, having been given an automatic berth as hosts.

The double-knockout playoff begins on Friday with Athletics again meeting the fourth-place Mariners beginning at noon at Elks. Second-place Abbotsford takes on third-place North Shore starting 3 p.m. while the first-place Blaze will play a yet-to-be-determined opponent at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowThe A's Owen Alstad connected for a pair of hits in a losing cause in the series opener.Three games (11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.) are scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday.

The Athletics missed the opportunity to earn a berth in the playoffs through the front door rather than the back when they gave up five runs in the sixth inning of the third game of their opening playoff series in Victoria on Sunday.

Down 3-1 after five innings, the A’s scored twice in the sixth on a double by Adam Sarafinchan and two Victoria errors to pull even.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowJade Parsons of the Athletics drove in three runs in Sunday's finale.The Mariners came right back in the bottom of the inning to collect five hits, two off Athletics starter Keaton Mandryk and three off reliever Jackson Borne.

The A’s finished with six hits in the game, two each from Sarafinchan and Kade Kozak.

In Game 1 of the series, the Athletics outhit the Mariners 12-7, but came out on the short end of the score, losing 9-6.

Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNowTwo hits and three RBI by Luigi Russo weren't enough in the A's first-game loss.Kelowna’s Luigi Russo led the A’s at the plate with two hits and three runs-batted-in while Borne and Owen Alstad both hit a pair of singles. Sarafinchan contributed a double and Jaden Parsons, a triple.

Cole Van Every started the game on the hill and lasted 2  2/3 innings, giving up the seven hits and the nine runs. Borne didn’t allow a hit or a run in his 3  1/3 innings for work while striking out two.

In a reversal of form, the second game of the series on Saturday saw the Mariners connect for 10 hits compared to the A’s seven, but the Okanagan prevailed 10-5 to force a third game.

The Athletics, with the help of three Victoria errors, scored all of their runs over three innings (four in the second, four in the third and two in the fourth) and hung on for the win.

Parsons led the winners at the dish, with a hit and three RBI while Kozak (double), Alstad and Chase Batchelor also drove in runs.

Carter Morris picked up the win despite going only three innings, allowing four earned runs and giving up six hits. He struck out three. Sarafinchan worked the final four innings, scattering four hits and allowed just one earned run while getting four Mariners on strikes.