Greensboro won 3-1 on Thursday, forcing a deciding game three on Friday in the semi-finals of the South Atlantic League playoffs.
The Grasshoppers took an early 1-0 lead after a throwing error with two outs in the first let Jack Brannigan score. Brannigan would later bring in the second run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. Mitch Jebb brought in the third run with an RBI single in the eighth inning. Javier Rivas scored both the second and third runs.
Wilber Dotel made the start, throwing three shutout innings. He allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out four. He was followed by Garrett McMillan, who threw five shutout innings. McMillan allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out seven. The lone run was allowed by Valentin Linarez in the ninth inning, who allowed a solo homer while pitching the ninth to pick up the save.
Greensboro will play Hudson Valley in the deciding game on Friday night, with the winner advancing to the SAL Championship series next week.
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS won 6-2
- RHP Beau Sulser: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
- DH Joshua Palacios: 3-for-4, 2B, 3B, RBI, SB
- C Jason Delay: 2-for-4, 2 RBI
- 2B Ji Hwan Bae: 1-for-2, 3B, 3 BB, 2 RBI
- SS Liover Peguero: 1-for-5, RBI
Beau Sulser got the start, throwing five shutout innings, and leaving with a two run lead. Indianapolis took that lead in the second inning, after an RBI double by Joshua Palacios and an RBI single by Jason Delay. Palacios also tripled in the eighth inning, scoring on a Delay single to make the score 4-2 at the time. Delay scored on a triple by Ji Hwan Bae to make the score 6-2.
STATCAST HEROES
Hardest Hit: Liover Peguero, 102.8 MPH, Single
Missed in Play: Malcom Nunez 109.3 MPH Groundout, Jack Suwinski 108.6 MPH flyout, Matt Gorski 106.3 MPH flyout, Jack Suwinski 105 MPH flyout
Triples: Bae 102.2 MPH, Palacios 98 MPH
Sulser Cutter: 6 Whiffs on 10 Swings, 2 Called Strikes (42% CSW), 86.7 MPH, 85.2-88.0
Sulser Changeup: 4 Whiffs on 7 Swings, 0 Called Strikes (44% CSW), 82.8 MPH, 81.5-83.5
Sulser Knuckle Curve: 2 Whiffs on 6 Swings, 2 Called Strikes (33% CSW), 78.1 MPH, 77.3-79.0
Sulser Four-Seam: 0 Whiffs on 8 Swings, 5 Called Strikes (28% CSW), 90.9 MPH, 90.0-92.7
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA won 8-1
- CF Matt Fraizer: 2-for-2, HR, 2B, BB, 2 RBI
- LF Yoyner Fajardo: 2-for-2, 2 BB, SB, 3 R
- SS Termarr Johnson: 1-for-3, 2 RBI
- 2B Tsung-Che Cheng: 1-for-2, 2 BB
- C Endy Rodriguez: 1-for-4
Matt Fraizer gave Altoona an early lead with a solo homer in the bottom of the second inning. It was his fifth of the year in Double-A. Fraizer later added his seventh double to give Altoona a 5-0 lead in the sixth. They got three shutout innings from RHP Emmanuel Chapman, and two shutout from LHP Blake Townsend. Termarr Johnson knocked in the second run of the game with a single, and the fourth run of the game with a sacrifice fly. Both times scored Yoyner Fajardo, who reached base safely four times, and stole his 17th base of the year. Endy Rodriguez played seven innings behind the plate in his latest rehab appearance.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO won 3-1, forcing game three of the best of three series
- RHP Wilber Dotel: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
- RHP Garrett McMillan: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
- DH Mitch Jebb: 1-for-4, RBI
- 3B Jack Brannigan: 0-for-2, BB, RBI
- SS Javier Rivas: 0-for-2, BB, 2 R
Wilber Dotel was having a rough month of August before dialing it in for one run in 4.2 innings in his final start of the month. He followed with three shutout innings in his lone start in September. He maintained that success in limited innings with three more scoreless frames in the playoffs. Garrett McMillan had an 0.43 ERA in 21 innings with Greensboro, with a 28:4 K/BB. This was his longest outing at this level, or any level this season.
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 7:05 PM – TBD
- Double-A: Altoona, 6:00 PM – LHP Anthony Solometo (1-7, 6.37)
- High-A: Greensboro, 6:30 – TBD (Game 3 of a Best of 3 Playoff Series)
