2033 St. Louis River Walkers: And the saga continues

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Record: 95-64, 1st, NL South clinched; 2 GB Rockford
Springfield jumped out to a 4-1 lead over the first five innings against St. Louis starting pitcher Edward Kunselman, and later turned it into a blowout with a seven-run seventh as the Railers down the River Walkers 11-6 at Oracle Park.
The victory allowed Springfield to avoid getting swept in the three-game series.
The Walkers' Bob Saavedra led off the game with a double and scored two batters later on a Manuel Coke double.
The Railers matched that in the bottom half of the inning.
Ruben Villanueva singled off Kunselman with one out and scored when Carlton Randall tripled.
An inning later, Springfield grabbed a 2-1 lead.
Dylan Crews doubled off Kunselman with one out and scored on a Matt Beagle single.
That advantage reached 4-1 in the fifth, Castrioti Rrustemi driving in a pair with a two-out single off Kunselman.
It later got ugly against the Walkers bullpen in the seventh, as the Railers scored seven times on five hits, and were helped by two walks and a wild pitch.
Villanueva provided the big hit with a grand slam off Armando Cintron, which scored the final four runs.
Before that, Randal and Hideaki Taguchi had back-to-back run-scoring doubles off Brennan Weldon.
Dylan Crews plated the inning's third run with a single off Weldon.
Railers starting pitcher Jesse Edwards (6-8) lasted 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits.
Five relievers, Jason Aranyos (0.1 IP), Ron Tanner (1.0), Tom McClurg (0.2), T.J. Darr (1.0) and Mike LaFromboise (0.1) combined to finish the game.
McClurg did get ripped for four runs, but the game never really got close.

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Record: 95-65, 1st, NL South clinched; 2 GB Rockford
Peoria bludgeoned the St. Louis bullpen for seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, as the Rivermen rallied for a 10-6 win at Globe Life Field.
A two-run double by rookie Mark Herman off Peoria reliever Alex Rios had given St. Louis a 6-3 lead in the top of the sixth.
But the St. Louis bullpen, which might be the best in the MBL, just didn't have it when it came to the eighth.
Johnny Castagnozzi drew a lead-off walk from reliever Armando Cintron to open the inning.
Cintron struck out the next two batters, after that is when the roof full in.
Scott Rissler took over and allowed a single to pinch-hitter Tony Gamez and walked Jim Wilson to load the bases.
Rissler then issued another walk, this one to pinch-hitter Jeff Neiderer, to drive in a run.
With just one out to get, closer Nick Strother got the call.
He proceeded to turn his worst outing of the season -- along with earning his second blown save.
John Nourin greeted him with a triple, putting the Rivermen in front 7-6.
He then walked Jermiah Jackson and Wes Cohen to load the bases.
Getting his second at-bat of the inning, Castagnozzi cleared the bases with a double to put Peoria ahead 10-6.
Peoria starting pitcher Mike German lasted just three innings, allowing four runs on three hits.
Lorenzo Mascorro was next, and he handled the fourth and fifth innings along with getting the first out of the sixth.
Former River Walker Alex Rios recorded the final two outs of the sixth.
Antonio Gonzalez (1-0) pitched the seventh and eighth and would wind up with the win.
Francisco Perez notched the first out of the ninth but allowed a pair of hits.
St. Louis would load the bases against Lenyn Crisp but the former Walker pitcher got Herman to fly out with the bases loaded to end it.
It was Crisp's fourth save of the season.

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Record: 95-66, 1st, NL South clinched; 2 GB Rockford
Damian Gaylor drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift Peoria to a 2-1 win over St. Louis at Globe Life Field.
The win allowed Rockford, despite losing 15-5 to Twin Cities, to clinch home-field advantage in the National League championship series.
The Lightning lead the River Walkers by two games with one to go.
Gaylor drew his walk on a 3-2 pitch from St. Louis reliever Brennan Weldon.
Weldon had just entered the game after the Lighting had loaded the bases.
Jeremiah Jackson led off the inning with a single off reliever Greg Sones.
Tony Gamez had followed Jackson's single with one of his one.
Aramando Cintron replaced Sones and got Johnny Castoangozzi to hit into a fielder's choice, with Jackson being retired at home.
John Nourian followed with a single to load the bases.
Cintron struck out Randy Underhill for the second out.
Weldon, a righty, then replaced the left-handed Cintron with the right-handed hitting Gaylor coming to the plate.
Pitching dominated the first 10 innings.
The Rivermen went up 1-0 with a run in the bottom of the first off St. Louis starter Kevin Hrdlicka.
Bobby Dotson reached on a bunt single to open the inning.
He scored on a single by Castagnozzi.
The River Walkers did not tie it until the top of the ninth when Nick Shaw hit his 30th homer of the season.
It came off Peoria reliever Antonio Gonzalez.
Rivermen starting pitcher Brad Monroe tossed 6.2 innings of shut-out ball.
He scattered four hits while striking out three. Monroe didn't issue a walk.
Mike Gil finished off the seventh for Peoria.
After that, Gonzalez (1.0 IP), Francisco Perez (1.2), Alex Rios (1.0) and Michael Walgren (0.1) took the mound for the Riverman.
Walgren (10-4) earned his 10th win of the season.

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Record: 95-67, 1st, NL South Division clinched
Jeremiah Jackson and Wes Cohen hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the ninth inning off St. Louis closer Nick Strother to lift Peoria to a 6-5 win in the final game of the regular season at Globe Life Field.
The win completed a three-game sweep for the Rivermen. The River Walkers will go into the National League championship series against Rockford on a four-game losing streak.
Strother had come into the weekend with just one blown save, but he blew a pair of them against the Riverman.
Getting rocked for three runs in a third of an inning in the series opener, a 10-6 loss, and then allowing three runs in this contest.
With St. Louis leading 5-3, Strother did strike out Ryan Palmer to begin the bottom of the ninth.
But he followed that with a walk to Bobby Dotson.
Jeremiah Jackson then drove a 2-2 pitch 347 feet over the left-field wall to tie it at 5-5.
Cohen followed that by powering a 1-1 pitch 397 feet over the fence in left-center to win it
It was second homer of the game. He hit a solo shot off Walkers starter Shane Drogo in the bottom of the first.
Cohen's 44 homers for the season ranked third in all of the MBL.
St. Louis jumped out to an early lead with a four-run first against Rivermen starter Seth Sipple.
Nick Shaw and Jose Segura both drove in two runs with doubles in the inning.
Cohen's first homer of the game in the bottom of the first made it 4-1.
The Walkers pushed their lead to 5-1 in the second.
Abdul-Nasser bin Amr led off with a single and scored on a two-out single by Jackson Miller.
Peoria made it 5-3 with a pair of runs off Drogo in the bottom of the htird.
Johnny Castagnozzi drove in the first run with a single.
A fly ball by Randy Underhill plated the other.
Sipple allowed all of the Walkers runs in 2.2 innings. He gave up five hits in that span.
Michael Walgren finished the third inning and got the game to the fifth without allowing another run.
After that, it was a scoreless inning each from Mike Gil, Lenyn Crisp, Antonio Gonzalez and Lorenzo Mascorro.
Moscorro (8-3) came out of it with the win.

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MBL news: Oct. 6 -- Regular-season standings and power rankings
NOTE: Akron still has one game to play and trails Columbus by a half-game in the American League East Division.

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MBL news: Oct. 6 -- Akron defeats Ann Arbor to force one-game playoff
Akron will host Columbus in a one-game playoff for the American League East Division title.
The Flying Feet and Golden Bears both finished the regular season 90-72 after Akron defeated Ann Arbor 2-1 in its final game.

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Akron defeated Columbus 4-2 in a one-game playoff at Candlestick Park (1993) to claim the American League East Division championship.
The Flying Feet forced the extra game with a 2-1 win over Ann Arbor in their final game of the regular season.
Akron (91-72) will face AL West champion Detroit in the American League championship series. The Diesels (93-69) will have home-field advantage.
The playoff berth is the fourth in the history of the Akron franchise, and their first since 2034.
The Feet have never won the MBL World Series.

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MBL news: Oct. 8 - Final standings

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MBL news: Oct. 8 -- American League leaders

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MBL news: Oct. 8 -- National League leaders

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Walkers news: Oct. 8 -- Final regular-season statistics

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American League championship series: Akron Flying Feet (91-72) vs. Detroit Diesels (93-69)
National League championship series: St. Louis River Walkers vs. Rockford Lightning (97-65)
Postseason histories
Akron: Division titles:2022, 2025, 2034, 2036; AL titles: 2025
Detroit:Division titles 2024, 2026, 2035, 2036. WS titles: 2024, 2026, 2035.
St. Louis Division titles: 2018, 2019, 2025, 2026, 2028, 2030, 2031, 2036; NL titles: 2026, 2028, 2030; WS titles: 2018, 2025.
Rockford: Division titles: 2033, 2036. NL titles: 2033

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MBL news: Oct. 8 -- American League championship series head-to-head statistics

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MBL news: Oct. 8 -- Akron Flying Feet regular-season statistical package

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MBL news: Oct. 8 -- Detroit Diesels regular-season statistical package

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Detroit won season series 4-2
June 30 -- At Akron
Detroit 7, Akron 4
W - R O'Leary 7-3, 3.66. L - M. Evanson 4-7, 4.39. Sv. - B. Webb 21, 1.89. HRs - Akr: L. Oakley 9. Det: R. Riggio 4, K. Allain 7.
July 1 -- At Akron
Akron 10, Detroit 0
W - J. Thomas 5-2, 2.24. L - J. Darling 3-6, 4.16.
HRs - Akr: J. Polk 8, J. Johnson 7.
July 2 -- At Akron
Detroit 2, Akron 0
W - T. Wingate 3-1, 3.18. L - O. Claude 5-3, 4.04. Sv - B. Webb 22, 1.83.
Sept. 29 -- at Detroit
Detroit 5, Akron 3
W - S. Mueller 3-2, 4.23. L - J. Pinto 7-13, 6.08. Sv - D. Cloonan 11, 2.88.
HR - Akr: J. Goto 19.
Sept. 30 -- At Detroit
Detroit 5, Akron 4, 11 innings
W - B. Little 1-2, 4.80. L - S. Snyder 3-2, 2.70. HR - Akr: R. Devers 7, J. Polk 21, Det: H. Christensen 8.
Oct 1 -- At Detroit
Akron 4, Detroit 3, 10 innings
W - E. Hammons 3-1, 4.17. L - J. Hoffman 12-4 2.61. Sv. - J. Hertel 3, 4.98. HRs - Akr: J. Goto 20, J. Polk 22.

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MBL news: Oct. 8 -- National League championship series head-to-head statistics

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MBL news: Oct. 8 -- NLCS head-to-head statistical package continued

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MBL news: Oct. 8 -- St. Louis River Walkers regular-season statistical package

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MBL news: Oct. 8 -- Rockford Lightning regular-season statistical package