The Red Wings win the wild card!  The Kernels close out the regular season with a big win!  The Miracle starts its playoffs tonight!

ROCHESTER 13, SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 3 IN ROCHESTER

Batting stars:  Eduardo Escobar was 4-for-5 with three doubles and a home run, scoring twice and driving in five.  Ray Olmedo was 3-for-5 with a double, driving in two.  Antoan Richardson was 3-for-5 with a double and a hit-by-pitch, scoring twice and driving in one.

Pitching stars:  Scott Diamond pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts.  Virgil Vasquez pitched two perfect innings with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Corey Patterson was 2-for-4 with a home run, scoring twice.  Addison Maruszak was 2-for-3 and scored once.  Brent Lillibridge was 2-for-4.

Key inning:  The first.  Patterson led off the game with a home run to put the RailRiders up 1-0.  The Red Wings got it back and then some, putting up a nine-spot in the bottom of the inning.  The first six batters reached base.  Escobar doubled in two, Jeff Clement singled in one, Eric Farris hit a sacrifice fly, Ray Olmedo, Richardson and Beresford got RBI singles, and Escobar doubled in two more.  They sent thirteen batters to the plate, getting a walk, a hit batsman, five singles, and three doubles.  The Red Wings finished with a record of 77-67.

Prospect watch:  Chris Parmelee was 2-for-5 with a double and scored twice.  Aaron Hicks was 0-for-3 with two walks and scored once.

Pennant race update:  This win, combined with a Norfolk ten-inning loss, put the teams in a tie.  Rochester holds the tie-breaker, and so advances to the playoffs.  They will meet Pawtucket in the first round, beginning Wednesday.

READING 3, NEW BRITAIN 2 IN NEW BRITAIN

Batting stars:  Brad Boyer was 2-for-4 with a double and scored once.  Kyle Knudson was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Pitching stars:  D. J. Baxendale struck out nine in 7.1 innings, giving up three runs on twelve hits but no walks.  Ryan O'Rourke pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and no walks with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Severino Gonzalez struck out six in 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and no walks.  Maikel Franco was 3-for-4 with a double.  Troy Hanzawa was 2-for-3 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.

Key inning:  The seventh.  The score was tied at one.  In the top of the inning, Hanzawa hit a one-out single and scored on a two-out double by Albert Cartwright.  Ex-Twin Matt Tolbert then singled to give the Fightin Phils a 3-1 advantage.  In the bottom of the inning, Boyer hit a two-out double and scored on a single by Knudson, but the Rock Cats could do no more.

Prospect watch:  Eddie Rosario was 1-for-4.  Miguel Sano was 0-for-3.

This concludes the season for the Rock Cats.  They finished 66-76, fifth in the Eastern League Eastern, 20.5 games behind Binghamton.

CEDAR RAPIDS 15, CLINTON 6 IN CLINTON

Batting stars:  Adam Brett Walker II was II-for-4 with a double and a home run (his twenty-seventh), scoring twice and driving in three.  Jonathan Murphy was 2-for-4 with a walk and a home run (his second), scoring twice and driving in four.  Michael Quesada was 2-for-2 with three walks and a double, scoring twice and driving in two.

Pitching stars:  Miguel Sulbaran pitched five innings, giving up two runs on four hits and one walk with one strikeout.  Hudson Boyd pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and no walks with one strikeout.  Brian Gilbert pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and no walks with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Gabriel Guerrero was 2-for-4 with a triple and a home run, scoring twice and driving in four.  Zach Shank was 1-for-2 with a home run and a hit-by-pitch, driving in two.  Taylor Ard was 2-for-3 with a walk and scored twice.

Key inning:  The fifth.  The Kernels led 3-2.  They took control by scoring seven.  Jorge Polanco hit an RBI double.  Max Kepler drove in two with a single.  Walker II hit a sacrifice fly, Tyler Grimes had an RBI double, and Quesada delivered a two-run single.  Eleven men batted.  There were two walks, four singles, and two doubles.

Prospect watch:  Kepler was 1-for-5, scoring once and driving in one.

Pennant race update:  The Kernels finished the second half 48-22, first in the Midwest League Western.  Overall, they were 88-50, the best record in the Midwest League.  They will meet Quad Cities in the first round of the playoffs, beginning Wednesday.

TODAY'S TILT

FSL Playoffs, Game 1  Fort Myers at Charlotte