Minor Details: Games of September 2

Jason Kanzler leads Fort Myers to victory, as they overcome a disastrous inning to take a 1-0 series lead.  Elizabethton is eliminated as Nick Gordon misses the game with a broken finger.  Cedar Rapids opens its playoff series tonight.

FORT MYERS 8, BRADENTON 7 IN BRADENTON (PLAYOFF GAME 1)

Batting stars:  Jason Kanzler was 2-for-3 with a grand slam, a double, and a walk, driving in six.  Dalton Hicks was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring once and driving in one.  Adam Brett Walker II was 0-for-1 with four walks and two runs.

Pitching stars:  Brandon Peterson pitched 2.1 perfect innings with one strikeout.  D. J. Johnson struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up a walk.  Zach Jones struck out two in a perfect inning.

Opposition star:  Jordan Steranka was 1-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.

The game:  In the second, an RBI double by Max Kepler and a two-run double by Kanzler gave Fort Myers a 3-0 lead.  It didn't last long, because in the bottom of the second Bradenton put up seven.  The Miracle made three errors in the inning, so all seven runs were unearned.  There was a man on first with two out, but then came an error, a double, a single, an error, another error, a walk, and a double.  It looked bad, but Fort Myers came back to score four in the fourth.  They got three walks to start the inning and Kanzler then hit a home run to tie the game at seven.  In the sixth, Travis Harrison hit a one-out double and scored on a single by Hicks.  Apart from the second, the only Marauders threat came in the eighth, when a single and a walk put men on first and second with one out.  A double play ended the inning.

Of note:  Aderlin Mejia was 0-for-4 with a walk.  Harrison was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring once.  Kepler was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring twice and driving in one.  Starter Brett Lee pitched 1.2 innings, giving up seven unearned runs on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

Playoff series update:  Fort Myers leads the best-of-three series one game to none.

JOHNSON CITY 5, ELIZABETHTON 4 IN ELIZABETHTON (PLAYOFF GAME 3)

Batting stars:  Tyler Kuresa was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer.  Blake Schmit was 2-for-3 with a run.  Tanner English was 2-for-5 with a run.

Pitching star:  Keaton Steele pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Julio Mateo pitched five shutout innings of relief, allowing two hits and two walks with three strikeouts.  Anthony Ray was 1-for-3 with a triple and a walk, driving in two.  Chris Rivera was 1-for-2 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.

The game:  Kuresa hit a two-run homer in the first to give Elizabethton the early lead.  Johnson City came back with three in the second.  All the damage came with two out:  three singles to score one and a two-run triple by Ray to make it 3-2 Cardinals.  In the third, three consecutive singles loaded the bases for the Twins and an error put Elizabethton back on top 4-3.  For a while it looked like that might be enough, but in the sixth, two singles, a productive out, and a sacrifice fly tied the score.  In the seventh, a walk and two singles loaded the bases for Johnson City and a wild pitch brought home the go-ahead run.  After the third inning, the Twins only twice got a man past first base.  In the fourth, Jeremias Pineda walked, stole second, and reached third on a fly ball with two out.  In the seventh, Tanner English singled and stole second, again getting there with two out.

Of note:  Trey Vavra was 1-for-4 with a run.  Jorge Fernandez was 1-for-4 with an RBI.  Nick Gordon did not play, missing the game with a broken finger.

Playoff series update:  Elizabethton is done, losing the playoff series two games to one.  The visiting team won all three games.

TODAY'S TILTS

6:05  Bradenton (TBA) at Fort Myers (TBA)

6:35  Burlington (TBA) at Cedar Rapids (Chih-Wei Hu, 8-2, 2.15)