More bad news from the minor leagues, as Charleston is eliminated from the playoffs and New Hampshire fails in its bid to sweep its first-round series.
Binghamton 1 New Hampshire 0 (10 innings)
New Hampshire leads series 2-1
A classic pitcher's duel ended badly for the Fisher Cats in extra innings. New Hampshire's Chris Baker and Binghamton's Neal Musser matched zeroes for 7 frames each; Baker threw a 2-hitter, walking just 1 and striking out 10 Mets. Jamie Vermilyea followed with 2 innings of effective relief, but John Ogiltree took the loss in the 10th when a potential double-play grounder took a bad hop in front of shortstop Aaron Hill for a game-ending error. Hill had the only 2-hit game for the Cats, while Dominic Rich's double was the only extra-base knock for the visitors. New Hampshire tries again to rap up the series, sending red-hot Francisco Rosario to the hill.
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Hickory 7 Charleston 3
Hickory wins series 2-0
The final game in the hallowed history of Charleston's Watt Powell Park was a disappointment for the more than 2,000 fans who turned out. The Crawdads scored 3 times in the first inning off Kurt Isenberg and never looked back, coasting to a victory and elimination of the Alley-Cats. Isenberg allowed a 3-run homer in the first and a solo shot on the 3rd, and though the Cats once closed to within 2 runs at 5-3, Hickory quickly re-established its lead off the bullpen and kept any more Alley-Cats from crossing the plate. There's no boxscore yet available. Can I say again how foolish a best-of-three playoff system is? And that the Fisher Cats would now be in the championship round if the Eastern League playoffs were best-of-three? But this ending shouldn't take anything away from the Alley-Cats, who rebounded from a terrible 2003 season to post a sterling 84-58 record, including wins in 22 of their final 27 games. With more talent on the way from Pulaski and Auburn next year, not to mention a brand new home ballpark slated to open next spring, the future looks very bright for the Blue Jays' Sally afilliate.
Box score not yet available
Game story
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