Monday Sept. 6, 2010
6:30 PM
By Kevin Czerwinski
CSNChicago.com
CUBS Iowa AAA
Mark Hamiltons two-out homer in the top of the ninth inning Monday afternoon lifted Memphis to a 7-6 victory at Principal Park, clinching a division title for the Redbirds and denying Iowa a berth in the Pacific Coast League playoffs.
The I-Cubs and Redbird finished tied for first place in the American North Division but Memphis owned the tiebreaker and will advance into the post-season. Iowa owned or shared a piece of first place for the final 51 days of the season but was denied a playoff spot because Memphis owned a better head-to-head record.
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Iowa held a 6-3 lead going into the seventh inning before Memphis scored three times to set the stage for Hamiltons dramatic blow of Hung-Wen Chen in the ninth inning.Jason Dubois ended the season on a 13-game hitting streak after hitting a pair of solo homers.Robinson Chirinos was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, finishing with a .364 average in 15 PCL games after hitting .318 at Tennessee.
In other action, playoff-bound Tennessee finished out the regular season with a 3-2 victory at Carolina. Brandon Gyer was 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs to finish second in the Southern League with a .344 average. Brett Jackson had a pair of hits while Craig Muschko allowed a run in five innings for his ninth win.Peoria ended its Midwest League season with a 9-4 victory at Quad Cities. Jae-Hoon Ha had a hit, two RBIs and finished with a .317 average. Matt Cerda had a double and three RBIs, giving him 80 for the year. Yohan Gonzalez went two scoreless innings for the win.
WHITE SOXWinston-Salem A
The Dash won the Carolina Leagues Southern Division second-half championship with a 10-5 victory over Salem at BB&T Ballpark on Monday, completing a sweep of divisional crowns. Winston-Salem also won the first-half title and will face Kinston in the opening round of the playoffs, which begin on Wednesday.
Winston-Salem finished with the best overall record in the league as well as posting the best first- and second-half records. The two Divisional titles marked the first time in franchise history that Winston-Salem has finished first in four consecutive halves. It also marks the first time a Carolina League team has won four consecutive halves since Wilmington turned the trick in 2001-02.
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Seth Loman went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs while Johnson went 4-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs. Greg Paiml had three hits and three RBIs while Taylor Thompson picked up the victory in relief.
In other action, Kannapolis dropped its South Atlantic League finale, 3-2, at Lakewood. Tyler Saladino had two hits and an RBI. Justin Collop allowed three runs in seven innings to take the loss.Mississippi ended Birminghams Southern League season on a sour note with a 2-1 victory. The Barons managed only five hits. Brian Omogrosso allowed a run in his inning of work to take the loss.Charlotte also ended its International League season with a loss, dropping a 7-0 decision to Gwinnett at Knights Stadium. Jeremy Reed had two of the Knights six hits. Jeff Marquez 8-9 took the loss to finish 0-5 in his last nine starts. His last victory came on July 16 at Durham.
Kevin Czerwinski can be reached at ktczerwinski@gmail.com.