Byron Buxton stays hot.  Andy Wilkins hits a big home run.  Alex Kirilloff and Brusdar Graterol continue to play well.  Randy Dobnak remains on a roll.  The E-Twins prepare for the playoffs.

SYRACUSE 6, ROCHESTER 3 IN SYRACUSE

The Red Wings led 3-1 after five, but the Chiefs scored three in ghte sixth to go into the lead to stay.  Irving Falu's bunt single-plus-error brought home the lead run.

Byron Buxton was 2-for-4 with a double.  He is batting .350 (14-for-40) in his last nine games.

Fernando Romero pitched 5.2 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and no walks and striking out five.

CHATTANOOGA 4, JACKSONVILLE 1 IN CHATTANOOGA

Andy Wilkins homered in a two-run second and the Lookouts added two runs on just one hit in the seventh.  The lone Jumbo Shrimp run came in the ninth.

Wilkins was 1-for-2 with two walks and the home run was his tenth.

Casey Crosby was the opener, striking out three in two shutout innings while giving up two hits and two walks.  Omar Bencomo pitched five shutout innings, giving up five hits and no walks and striking out four.

FORT MYERS 3, BRADENTON 2 IN FORT MYERS

The Miracle scored single runs in the fifth, sixth, and eighth to take a 3-0 lead.  The Marauders scored two in the ninth and had the tying run on base with one out.

Alex Kirilloff was 3-for-4 with a double and is batting .370.  Aaron Whitefield was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.

Brusdar Graterol struck out six in 5.2 scoreless innings, giving up four hits and a walk.  He has a 1.77 ERA in his last six starts (35.2 innings).  Colton Davis struck out three in 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up no hits and no walks.

CEDAR RAPIDS 5, KANE COUNTY 1 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Michael Davis and Victor Tademo hit back-to-back homers in the fifth to take a 3-0 lead.  The lone Cougar run came in the seventh.

Davis was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and the home run was his eighth.  Tademo was 1-for-3 with a home run in his Cedar Rapids debut.  Michael Helman was 1-for-4 and is batting .361.

Randy Dobnak pitched seven innings, giving up one run on three hits and two walks and striking out four.  He has a 1.79 ERA in his last ten games (55.1 innings).  Jared Finkel pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks and striking out one.

ELIZABETHTON 6, PULASKI 2 IN ELIZABETHTON

Two walks and an error brought home two runs in the fourth to give the Twins a 4-0 lead.  The Yankees scored two in the fifth, but Elizabethton got a pair of insurance runs in the eighth on a Robert Molina single.

Jared Akins was 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs.  Jean Carlos Arias was 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs.  Trevor Casanova was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.  He is batting .340.

It appears to have been a bullpen game, or perhaps simply tuning people up for the playoffs.  Luis Rijo started and struck out four in two perfect innings.  Blair Lasko struck out four in three shutout innings, giving up two walks.  Tanner Howell pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.

PENNANT RACE UPDATE

Fort Myers remains second and remains 1.5 games behind Charlotte.
Cedar Rapids remains first and has clinched a playoff spot, though they have not yet clinched the division title.  They lead Peoria by 3.5 games with six games to play.
Elizabethton remains first and has clinched the division title.  They lead Kingsport by six games with two games to play.

TODAY'S TILTS

4:05  Buffalo (Sean Reid-Foley, 7-4, 3.50) at Rochester
Game 2  Buffalo (Jacob Waguespack, 5-7, 5.18) at Rochester (Zack Littell, 5-6, 3.42)
6:00  Pulaski at Elizabethton
6:00  Bradenton (Pedro Vasquez, 0-3, 6.28) at Fort Myers (Andro Cutura, 4-6, 3.88)
6:15  Jacksonville (Cody Poteet, 2-11, 5.42) at Chattanooga (Sean Poppen, 5-6, 3.44)