D. J. Baxendale pitched seven strong innings and Fort Myers got a touchdown in the third to move to the championship round.  Cedar Rapids was blanked and needs to win tonight to stay alive.

FORT MYERS 6, BRADENTON 2 IN FORT MYERS (PLAYOFF GAME 2)

Batting stars:  Travis Harrison was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Dalton Hicks was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk.  Aderlin Mejia was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching stars:  D. J. Baxendale pitched seven innings, giving up an unearned run on six hits and a walk with five strikeouts.  Todd Van Steensel pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Jin-De Jhang was 2-for-3 with a run.  Adam Frazier was 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

The game:  Frazier opened the scoring with an RBI single in the third.  Fort Myers responded to that run with a half-dozen in the bottom of the third.  An error scored the first run, Mejia singled in the second, Harrison hit a two-run double, and Hicks hit a two-run homer.  That was all the runs the Miracle got, but it was all they would need.  Bradenton did not threaten again until the ninth, when a single, two walks, and a sacrifice fly scored their other run.

Of note:  Max Kepler was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Adam Brett Walker II was 1-for-4.

Playoff update:  Fort Myers wins the series 2-0.  In the other series, Daytona defeated Dunedin 9-4 to win that series 2-0.  Oddly, there will be no day off before the championship series.  The Miracle will host Daytona tonight in the first of the best-of-five series.

BURLINGTON 2, CEDAR RAPIDS 0 IN CEDAR RAPIDS (PLAYOFF GAME 1)

Batting stars:  Alex Swim was 2-for-4.  Max Murphy was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Chih-Wei Hu struck out seven in five shutout innings, giving up four hits and a walk.  Dallas Gallant retired all six batters he faced in 2.1 perfect innings, striking out four of them.

Opposition stars:  Victor Alcantara pitched six shutout innings, allowing four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  Eric Aguilera was 2-for-4 with a home run.  Brian Loconsole struck out five in two shutout innings, allowing one hit.

The game:  Each team got a man to third base in the third inning, but there was no scoring until the sixth, when Aguilera led off the inning with a home run.  Burlington added a run in the seventh when, after the first two men went out, Kody Eaves walked, took second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Brandon Bayardi single.  Cedar Rapids did not get a man past first after that.

Of note:  Jonatan Hinojosa was 1-for-4.  Chad Christensen was 0-for-3 with a walk.  Mitch Garver was 0-for-2.

Playoff update:  Cedar Rapids trails the best-of-three series 1-0.  In the other series, Lake County beat South Bend 6-2, Fort Wayne defeated West Michigan 7-5, and it was Kane County over Wisconsin 7-3.

TODAY'S TILTS

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

6:30  Cedar Rapids (Mat Batts, 2-0, 2.20) at Burlington (TBA)