The Twins sweep on the final day of the regular season. Rochester finishes .500 for the first time since 2008. The Rock Cats win, but it's not enough. An inside-the-park homer for Wang-wei Lin!
ROCHESTER 6, SYRACUSE 4 IN SYRACUSE
Batting stars: Brian Dozier was 2-for-4 with a home run, his second. Wilkin Ramirez and Clete Thomas were each 2-for-4 with a double.
Pitching star: Shairon Martis worked seven innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out five.
Opposition stars: Corey Brown was 2-for-4 with a home run. Brett Carroll was 2-for-3.
Key inning: The first. The Chiefs went down in order in the top of the inning. In the bottom, with one, out Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Brian Dozier singled, Ramirez hit an RBI double, and Thomas drove in a run with a single to give the Red Wings a 2-0 lead they would not relinquish.
Other: Rochester finished at .500, their best record since 2008. The 2013 season begins April 4.
NEW BRITAIN 8, NEW HAMPSHIRE 5 IN NEW BRITAIN
Batting stars: James Beresford was 4-for-5. Oswaldo Arcia was 2-for-5 with a home run, his tenth. Shawn Roof was 2-for-3 with a double.
Pitching star: Dakota Watts pitched two shutout innings, allowing a hit and a walk.
Opposition stars: Jake Marisnick was 2-for-4 with a home run. Brian Van Kirk was 2-for-5 with a home run. Chorye Spoone worked 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and two walks.
Key inning: The fourth. Leading 2-1, the Fisher Cats put together two singles, a sacrifice bunt, and another single to stretch the lead to 4-1. In the bottom of the inning, however, the Rock Cats came clawing back. Beresford and Estarlin De Los Santos singled, Roof hit an RBI double, Aaron Hicks tied the score with a two-run single, and Arcia hit a two-run homer to put New Britain ahead 6-4.
Other: A New Britain win coupled with a Reading loss would have forced a playoff game for the last playoff spot. Unfortunately, Reading won its game to knock the Rock Cats out of the playoffs.
BELOIT 6, QUAD CITIES 1 IN BELOIT
Batting stars: Matthew Koch was 3-for-4 with a double. Wang-wei Lin was 2-for-4 with a three-run inside-the-park homer, his fourth home run of the season. Miguel Sano hit a home run, his twenty-eighth.
Pitching stars: David Hurlbut allowed one run on four hits and no walks in five innings. Taylor Rogers went two shutout innings, giving up one hit. Zachary Jones struck out three in a scoreless innings, allowing one hit.
Opposition stars: Anthony Melchionda was 3-for-4 with a double. Nick Martini was 2-for-4 with a double. Ethan Cole struck out four in 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits.
Key inning: The sixth. The Snappers led 2-1. With two out and none on, Sano hit a solo homer. That ignited a Beloit rally, as Kennys Vargas and Drew Leachman singled and Lin hit a liner to center for an inside-the-park home run, making the score 6-1.
Other: Sano drove in his 100th run of the season with his home run…The Snappers open the playoffs Wednesday as they take on Clinton in a best-of-three series.
COMING UP NEXT
We’ll cover the Midwest League playoffs as long as Beloit is in them, which we hope will be all the way. We’ll also be naming players of the month for August/September and players of the year. Then we’ll post some final thoughts on the minor league season. After that, we’ll take a little time off, then get ready for the Arizona Fall League.