Link Report for Helena's First-Round Series -- Brewers win, 9-5! On to the League Finals (Tuesday)!

[Mass Haas]

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Helena: TBD at Great Falls (White Sox), 4:45 PM Central pre-game; 5:00 gametime

Live Audio Link

 

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Box Score / Game Log

 

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PIO North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak * Great Falls 23 13 .639 - - 14-4 9-9 9-1 W5 Helena 22 15 .595 1.5 1 10-8 12-7 5-5 W1 Billings 17 19 .472 6.0 E 10-7 7-12 3-7 L1 Missoula 14 23 .378 9.5 E 9-10 5-13 3-7 L4

[Mass Haas]

PCL American North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
#	Memphis	82	62	.569	-	-	48-26	34-36	7-3	W2
	Iowa	82	62	.569	-	E	39-33	43-29	6-4	L2
	Omaha	81	63	.563	1.0	E	40-32	41-31	8-2	W3
	Nashville	77	67	.535	5.0	E	39-31	38-36	6-4	L1

SOU North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
*#	Tennessee	86	53	.619	-	43-27	43-26	6-4	W3
	West Tenn	73	66	.525	13.0	37-33	36-33	6-4	W5
	Huntsville	67	73	.479	19.5	35-36	32-37	4-6	L3
	Chattanooga	65	74	.468	21.0	32-36	33-38	3-7	L5
	Carolina	58	79	.423	27.0	29-40	29-39	3-7	L3

FSL North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
#	Tampa	78	57	.578	-	40-28	38-29	5-5	L2
	Daytona	75	64	.540	5.0	37-32	38-32	5-5	W1
*	Dunedin	72	67	.518	8.0	33-36	39-31	6-4	W2
	Lakeland	71	67	.514	8.5	37-31	34-36	6-4	L1
	Clearwater	67	72	.482	13.0	37-34	30-38	5-5	L1
	Brevard County	64	75	.460	16.0	33-38	31-37	3-7	W1

MID Western
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
#	Quad Cities	83	55	.601	-	38-28	45-27	7-3	L1
*	Cedar Rapids	82	56	.594	1.0	45-22	37-34	7-3	W6
	Clinton	74	65	.532	9.5	42-30	32-35	3-7	L4
	Beloit	71	65	.522	11.0	37-33	34-32	5-5	L3
	Peoria	71	66	.518	11.5	41-27	30-39	4-6	W1
	Kane County	71	67	.514	12.0	40-29	31-38	7-3	L1
	Wisconsin	58	80	.420	25.0	30-40	28-40	3-7	W1
	Burlington	46	90	.338	36.0	27-41	19-49	4-6	W3

AZL Central
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
#	AZL Brewers	34	22	.607	-	-	13-12	12-10	3-6	W1
&	AZL Reds	31	24	.564	2.5	E	12-8	14-9	8-2	W6
	AZL Dodgers	30	25	.545	3.5	E	12-11	13-8	5-5	L1
	AZL Indians	21	35	.375	13.0	E	8-14	10-13	2-8	L2

DSL S.D. North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
#	DSL Mariners	43	28	.606	-	-	23-13	20-15	7-3	L1
	DSL Cardinals	39	32	.549	4.0	E	24-11	15-21	5-5	L2
	DSL Athletics	32	39	.451	11.0	E	17-19	15-20	6-4	W2
	DSL Brewers	28	43	.394	15.0	E	17-18	11-25	3-7	W1

[battlekow]

Helena's game was rained out. With the playoffs sorted out, it obviously won't be made up. RHP Matt Miller will go in game one tomorrow against RHP Stephen McCray.

[TooLiveBrew]

Not sure if this was posted elsewhere, and honestly I didn't know where to post it. Baseball America Prospect Blog: USA Baseball Releases Pan Am Qualifier Roster. Andre Lamontagne is the only representative from the Brewers organization. The Royals lead the way with 6 players.

 

Oh, another note in the article -- "Canada is expected to announce their roster next week."

[Mass Haas]

Brewers open playoffs at home against Great Falls tonight

By AMBER KUEHN Independent Record

With rain canceling the Helena Brewers’ regular-season finale Thursday at Kindrick Legion Field, the Pioneer League North wild card winners got a day of rest before facing a team with arguably the best pitchers in the league.

 

Great Falls comes to town tonight for the first game in a best-of-three playoff series after winning both halves of the Pioneer League North season. The Voyagers have had strong starters and an unbreakable bullpen all season, and Great Falls pitchers had a streak of 21 shutout innings snapped when Billings scored two in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday.

 

The Brewers haven’t been bad in that area either, and send their best pitcher to the mound tonight. Matt Miller (7-2) gets the start for Helena, while Stephen McCray (6-2) gets the nod for Great Falls.

 

Miller has been magnificent this season, posting a 4.06 ERA through 71 innings pitched. He’s given up 63 hits and 32 earned runs, while owning a 28-53 walks-to-strikeouts ratio.

 

“He’s been solid for us all year,” said first-year Brewers manager Joe Ayrault, adding that Austin Ross will start Game 2. “Anytime you can put a guy like that out there it makes you more confident.”

 

McCray is one of four Voyagers pitchers in the top five in terms of Pioneer League leaders in wins. Paul Burnside and Charles Delk are 7-3, while Jacob Wilson and McCray each own six wins. McCray has a 2.48 ERA and has given up 52 hits over 54.1 innings while fanning 45 and walking 15.

 

Run support is the question mark for the Brewers, who are looking for their first series playoff victory since 2005, when they beat Billings in two games. Over a 10-game stretch leading into Wednesday night’s game in which Helena was 5-5, the pitching staff combined for a 3.38 ERA but batters hit just .225 as a team in that time period.

 

“We just need to do the little things,” Ayrault said. “Make the routine plays, get quality at-bats.”

 

More problematic for Helena (41-34 overall, 22-15 second half) is the fact that their most powerful slugger, first baseman Cody Hawn, is listed as day-to-day with a hamstring injury. Hawn is tied for the league lead with 61 RBIs.

 

Nobody on the team had an opportunity to practice Thursday, with intermittent rain falling throughout the day and making for miserable field conditions.

 

“We couldn’t get anything done but really, this was probably good for us, we needed a day to rest,” the skipper said. “We were supposed to have one a while back (Aug. 31) but then had that double dip against Billings instead of a day off.”

 

Helena split that doubleheader with the Mustangs but failed to clinch a postseason berth. The Brewers blew several opportunities to seal the deal, but earned the right to play an extra day after Billings’ loss and Helena’s win Wednesday night. It marks the first time the Brewers advance to the playoffs since 2007, the year they also faced Great Falls. The White Sox one that one in three games, but the Brewers hope they can win this time in two.

 

“Since day one it’s been our goal to get into the playoffs and win a ring,” Ayrault said. “We’re on our way there.”

 

The Voyagers held the advantage in the 2010 season series, winning 10 games to just six Brewers victories. The Voyagers top hitter has been catcher Mike Blanke, the guy who robbed Helena of the go-ahead run Tuesday and then had the winning RBI. Blanke is third in the league in doubles, has more hits on the Voyagers squad (79) than any other player, and his .329 batting average is best on the team.

 

Greg Hopkins leads Helena with 79 hits, while shortstop Carlos George owns a .324 average.

 

Tonight’s first pitch is slated for 7:05 PM (8:05 Central) Friday is Fan Appreciation Night at Kindrick Legion and prizes will be given away.

 

Games 2 and 3, if necessary, will be held in Great Falls at Centene Stadium. Sunday’s contest would be a 4:00 PM start (5:00 Central).

 

In the Southern Division playoff beginning tonight, defending Pioneer League champion Orem hosts Ogden.

[Mass Haas]

I've morphed Thursday's "rainout" Link Report into one which will cover the entire best-of-three vs. Great Falls.

 

For each game, the initial post with the starting pitcher and box score and audio links, will be adjusted, so still go there for your nighly audio link to Steve Wendt's call.

 

When the Brewers move on to the championship round, a new thread will begin. Thanks.

[Mass Haas]

Helena playoff history

[Mass Haas]

Going to listen in to as much as I can this evening -- Cody Hawn in the starting lineup, as just discussed by Manager Joe Ayrault in the pre-game; he likes lefty bat Robbie Garvey in the leadoff spot. Catcher Brent Dean a team leader, but Ayrault has been impressed by Tyler Roberts' "gun behind the plate" -- Dean gets the start tonight. Ayrault a class act thanking the players' families in the pre-game.

[Mass Haas]

Why baseball is an odd game -- Great Falls loads the bases in the 2nd without a hard-hit ball at all, then a line drive ends the inning just like that.

 

Great Falls Top of the 2nd

• Ryan Hamme reaches on fielding error by right fielder John Dishon.
  
• Rafael Vera grounds out, shortstop Carlos George to first baseman Michael Walker. Ryan Hamme to 2nd.
  
• Randall Thorpe hit by pitch.
  
• Dusty Harvard singles on a fly ball to left fielder Robert Garvey. Ryan Hamme to 3rd. Randall Thorpe to 2nd.
  
• Kyle Davis lines into double play, third baseman Gregory Hopkins to second baseman Shea Vucinich. Randall Thorpe doubled off 2nd.

Robbie Garvey led off the bottom of the 1st with a line drive home run, then survived an injury scare while diving for a ball in the 2nd. Some Great Falls gifts extended the lead to 2-0 in the 2nd, but it should have been a much more productive inning. Hopefully that won't come back to bite the H-Crew.

 

 

[Mass Haas]

Final: @Helena 5, Great Falls (White Sox) 3, Brewers lead best-of-three series, 1-0

 

Helena Box Score

We'll look forward to the early-morning newspaper account of this home game; Matt Miller scattered nine hits over his six innings but walked only one and Eric Marzec was brilliant over the final three frames, allowing but a lonely single -- kudos to the RHP's from the Univeristy of Michigan and Youngstown State; as noted above, Robbie Garvey got the evening off on the right foot with a home run, also singled and walked -- he's been a fantastic non-drafted free agent signee; SS Carlos George deserves credit for multiple defensive highlights, and wasn't alone in that regard as the Brewers flashed big-time leather all evening long, making for an exciting call from the Voice of the H-Crew, Steve Wendt; Greg Hopkins singled twice and drove in a run, joining Garvey in the multi-hit column; Cody Hawn shook off lingering hamstring issues to be the DH, and even legged out a double against his recent college teammate at Tennessee, Stephen McCray; catcher Brent Dean exited after three innings, he must have been nicked up on a play at the plate, definitive word wasn't available...

 

Helena Game Log

CF Franklin Romero made up for an earlier error with a big play here --

 

Great Falls Top of the 7th

• Pitcher Change: Eric Marzec replaces Matthew Miller.
  
• Andy Wilkins grounds out, shortstop Carlos George to first baseman Michael Walker.
  
• Michael Blanke singles on a ground ball to center fielder Franklin Romero. Michael Blanke out at 2nd, center fielder Franklin Romero to shortstop Carlos George.
  
• Ryan Hamme grounds out, second baseman Shea Vucinich to first baseman Michael Walker.

Looking forward to Austin Ross on the mound going for the sweep Saturday night...

[Mass Haas]

Brewers start post-season with a win

By Brett Billings/Helena Brewers

The Helena Brewers began the 2010 post-season as they had hoped, taking game one of the best-of-three series against the Great Falls Voyagers 5-3.

The Brewers got on the board early - well, as quickly as possible. Robbie Garvey led off the bottom half of the first with a solo home run to right field and the Brewers had the early momentum.

Mike Walker started the Brewers' second inning with a walk. Brent Dean advanced him to second with an infield single. John Dishon stepped to the plate looking to bunt them over, but got more than he bargained for when an errant throw from third baseman Andy Wilkins scored Walker to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead.

After Great Falls cut the lead in half in the third, Helena answered for two more in the bottom half. Cody Hawn led off the frame with a double. Greg Hopkins followed with a single, and the bases were cleared after a triple from Walker.

The Brewers fifth and final run came in the fifth inning after singles from Hopkins, Rafael Neda, and Dishon.

RHP Matt Miller (1-0, 3.00) started on the mound for the Brewers and was effective. He tossed six innings and allowed three runs, two earned.

RHP Eric Marzec pitched the final three innings for the Brewers to earn the save. He didn't allow a run and struck out two.

Helena will now travel to Great Falls for Game 2 of the Northern Division Championship. RHP Austin Ross will start for the Brewers. Great Falls is sending RHP Paul Burnside to the mound.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Brewers take Game 1 of playoff series with Great Falls

By AMBER KUEHN, Helena Independent Record

 

Forget the regular season.

 

The Helena Brewers put up with the talk about how great Great Falls was all month, how Voyagers pitchers were unhittable. But the Brewers’ erased all those thoughts by showing they were the better team Friday, beating Great Falls 5-3 at Kindrick Legion Field to take a critical game one in the best-of-three Pioneer League North Division Championship Series.

 

“It was huge for our our team,” said Brewers reliever Eric Marzec, who pitched three shutout innings and earned his first career save. “We haven’t had the best success against them all season but coming into tonight it was real important to take one away from them in front of the home fans. The locker room is ecstatic right now.”

 

Helena now heads to the Electric City with momentum on its side in the series, hoping to clinch the North title tonight with a win at Centene Stadium and advance to the league finale against either Orem or Ogden.

 

Great Falls held the season advantage against Helena 10-6 and came to the Capital City on a six-game win streak. But the Voyagers gave up five runs to an opponent for the first time since Sept. 4, and a staff that had allowed just eight earned runs over the last 10 games allowed four on the evening. Stephen McCray was not himself, giving up all five runs on four hits through just three innings. He entered the game with just a 0.87 ERA against Helena.

 

“I think it’s really defeating for them,” Marzec said. “They came in here pretty confident in themselves and for us to kind of take it to them and put pressure on them, they’re not going to be very happy about that. Plus it builds huge confidence in our clubhouse.”

 

The Brewers should have plenty of confidence after a stellar night defensively. Franklin Romero Jr. and John Dishon made several impressive plays in the outfield, Mike Walker caught a couple of hard liners at first base and shortstop Carlos George seemed to get to every ball hit his way. Helena held Great Falls to just 2 for 7 with runners in scoring position, and starter Matt Miller held the visitors in check — just three runs on nine hits.

 

Meanwhile, Helena came out swinging early. The Brewers got on the board first when leadoff man Robbie Garvey took a fastball from McCray straight up the middle and sent it sailing over the right-field fence much to the delight of the 751 fans in attendance.

 

“It felt great,” said the left fielder, who had a scary collision with George an inning later. “I knew it was gone when I hit it.”

 

The Brewers also got RBIs from Greg Hopkins, Walker and Dishon, who laid down a beautiful sac bunt in the second frame before reaching on a Voyagers error. Cody Hawn, questionable coming into the game with a hamstring injury, had a double off his former University of Tennessee teammate, McCray. It was an all-around effort for a team that had all but two players in the lineup record a hit.

 

“(Great Falls) was hot coming in but now we’re gonna get back on a hot streak,” said Garvey, who was 2 for 4. “With the talent on this team, we didn’t even play good tonight. We can beat them 100-0 anyday.

 

“We could have had better at-bats, I know myself, I gave one at-bat away, swung at pitches I shouldn’t have. But when we’re clicking as a team, we can’t be beat.”

 

Miller said despite the pressure of being called on in an important game one, he was just trying to take it all in stride.

 

“Before the game, (pitching coach) Elvin Nina said ‘I don’t care what you do, just tell me at the end of the game you had fun,’” the fifth-round draft pick said. “That’s all I could think about—this could be my last start, I just need to have fun.”

 

He did.

 

“It was great to come out and get the first big ‘W’ in the series,” the right-hander said.

 

The Voyagers got their best outing from Addison Reed, who struck out three in two innings and was the only Great Falls hurler able to hold a hot Helena team scoreless. Brewers manager Joe Ayrault said his team hasn’t been intimidated by the Voyagers pitching staff, and it showed Friday.

 

“They don’t think about that, they just think about playing their game,” the skipper said, citing that’s the reason they have had success. “Our guys just play to their strengths and know we can battle back in any ball game.”

 

The comeback kids never had to worry in this one, as they led the entire way. Ayrault hopes his crew can take an early lead tonight in Great Falls, and said he’s confident in sending Austin Ross to the mound. Ross is a pitcher the Voyagers aren’t real familiar with, while Paul Burnside takes the hill for Great Falls.

 

“I’ve got my wife, kids and family at home,” Ayrault said. “But I want to come home with a ring.”

 

Ogden 2, Orem 1

 

OREM, Utah—Ogden center fielder Leon Landry hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the top of the ninth inning Friday to lift the Raptors to a 2-1 win and the game-one victory in the Pioneer League Southern Division championship series.

 

Orem, the defending champ, took a 1-0 lead in the first frame after Kole Calhoun homered to right field. The Owlz pitched shutout ball the rest of the way, before Justin La Tempa’s blown save in the final frame cost the hosts the game.

 

Ogden won both halves of the Southern Division and will head home tonight to try to clinch the best-of-three series crown.

 

All photos by Eliza Wiley Independent Record

Brewers' catcher Brent Dean takes it in the ankle as he defends home against Great Falls' Ross Wilson Friday night. Ross was called safe putting Great Falls within one of Helena at 2-1 in the top of the third with two outs.

 

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/0/b9/e64/0b9e645a-bd5d-11df-adef-001cc4c03286-revisions/4c8b0578ac4a4.image.jpg

Matt Miller throws during Friday night's game against Great Falls.

 

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/7/6f/2d9/76f2d9a2-bd5d-11df-8ee6-001cc4c03286-revisions/4c8b062b1108e.image.jpg

Shortstop Carlos George takes the throw at second base.

 

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/2/fc/d1b/2fcd1bfa-bd5d-11df-a336-001cc4c03286-revisions/4c8b05b525eec.image.jpg

[Mass Haas]

The lead post in this thread has been updated to reflect Saturday's updated info and box score / game log links.

 

Even if you're still prioritizing the big league club vs. the Cubbies this evening, remember to switch over to Steve's call immediately after to hear what hopefully will be the tail end of a "sweep" victory!

[battlekow]

Final (game two): @Great Falls 6, Helena 2

Helena box score

Well, I guess a recap isn't going to get posted before I go to bed, so here goes. The Brewers had an excellent chance to sweep the Voyagers with Austin Ross, probably their best starter, on the mound tonight, but Ross lasted only 4.1 innings. He wasn't roughed up, allowing just one run on six hits and two walks while fanning six, but I guess he was inefficient with his pitches. Reliever Alex Jones was nailed for three runs while recording just two outs, and the H-Crew couldn't recover. Jimmy Nelson, who was forced to miss the end of the Penn State-Alabama because of these pesky playoffs, surrendered a run in two innings on three hits and a walk with three strikeouts. Robbie Garvey homered for the second straight game after hitting just four in the regular season and was also hit by a pitch. Mike Walker singled twice, Cody Hawn doubled and walked, and Rafael Neda walked twice and was also hit by a pitch.

 

Helena play-by-play

This was the inning that did the Brewers in:

 

Great Falls Bottom of the 6th

• Ryan Hamme doubles (1) on a fly ball to right fielder John Dishon.
• With Rafael Vera batting, wild pitch by Alex Jones, Ryan Hamme to 3rd.
• Rafael Vera singles on a fly ball to right fielder John Dishon. Ryan Hamme scores.
• Randall Thorpe bunt pops out to first baseman Michael Walker.
• Dusty
  Harvard reaches on force attempt, missed catch error by second baseman
  Shea Vucinich, assist to third baseman Gregory Hopkins. Rafael Vera
  to 3rd.
• Pitcher Change: Jose Sanchez replaces Alex Jones.
• With Kyle Davis batting, Dusty Harvard steals (2) 2nd base.
• Kyle Davis walks.
• Michael
  Earley singles on a line drive to center fielder Franklin Romero.
  Rafael Vera scores. Dusty Harvard scores. Kyle Davis to 3rd.
• Ross Wilson hits a sacrifice bunt. Kyle Davis scores. Michael Earley to 2nd. Ross Wilson to 1st.
• Andy Wilkins grounds into double play, shortstop Carlos George to first baseman Michael Walker. Ross Wilson out at 2nd.

[battlekow]

Brewers season comes down to one game in Great Falls today

Helena Independent Record

 

GREAT FALLS — The Helena Brewers scored the first and final runs Saturday night at Centene Stadium.

 

The trouble was all of the innings in between.

 

The Great Falls Voyagers used a four-run sixth inning to even the Pioneer League North Division Championship Series at 1-1 a night after Helena’s postseason-opening victory, winning 6-2 in front of 1,232 fans. The best-of-three series concludes tonight in the Electric City, and a division champion will be crowned.

 

The Brewers again wasted no time getting on the board, as Cody Hawn came home on Mike Walker’s RBI single off Voyagers starter Paul Burnside. Burnside struggled with his command at the beginning, walking two and hitting a batter in his first two innings.

 

The Helena offense was anemic the rest of the way. Great Falls tied the game with Randall Thorpe’s sacrifice fly to score Andy Wilkins in the fourth frame. It was the only run Helena starter Austin Ross would allow, as his night ended after giving up six hits and striking out six through 4 1/3 innings.

 

The trouble for Helena came in the sixth. After the Brewers stranded yet another baserunner in their half of the inning—Helena left nine on in the contest—reliever Alex Jones gave up a leadoff double to Ryan Hamme. A wild pitch moved Hamme to third with none out.

 

That brought up Rafael Vera, who was 3 for 3 with an RBI in the game. Vera lined a shot to right field to score Hamme and give the Voyagers the lead, one they would never relinquish. A barrage of hits and a costly error by Shea Vucinich on what should have resulted in a double play put Great Falls up 5-1 by the inning’s end.

 

Wilkins’ RBI double to left field in the bottom of the eighth gave the hosts a five-run advantage and extra cushion heading into the final frame.

 

Helena left fielder Robbie Garvey hit a solo shot in the top of the ninth, his second homer in the playoff series, but it was too little, too late for a rally by a Brewers team that made a living off the comeback in June.

 

The Brewers used five pitchers on the evening, and Jones was tagged with the loss. The sidearm thrower didn’t get through an inning, giving up two hits and three runs in relief. Burnside earned the win on the mound for the Voyagers, giving up three hits and walking four but allowing just one run in six innings of work.

 

The Brewers managed just five hits in the contest, with Walker the only player recording multiple base knocks. Garvey, Hawn and Greg Hopkins had the other hits.

 

Right-handed hurler Steven Upchurch makes the start for the Pioneer League North regular-season champs tonight. Upchurch was 4-2 this year with a 3.78 ERA. Helena was unsure who would take the mound for game three, but Tyler Cravy appears to be the likliest candidate.

 

Orem 17, Ogden 10

 

OGDEN — The Ogden Raptors rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a 10-8 lead, only to have their hopes of clinching the Southern Division crown dashed two innings later.

 

The Owlz forced a game three with the 17-10 road win in a game that turned into a slugfest. Orem finished with 18 hits, twice as many as the home team. Their were five home runs total in the high-scoring affair.

 

Game three is in Ogden tonight. The winner will take on either Great Falls or Helena in the Pioneer League Championship.

[Mass Haas]

Voyagers play another day

By MIKE TOWNE, Great Falls Tribune Sports Writer

 

After a hitting a bump in the road on Friday night, the Great Falls Voyagers are back on track and one victory from playing for the Pioneer League championship.

 

Rafael Vera collected three hits, Michael Earley drove in a pair of runs, pitchers Paul Burnside and Douglas Murray combined on a five-hitter, and the Voyagers played errorless defense Saturday night to defeat the Helena Brewers 6-2 in the second game of the best-of-three Northern Division series.

The win, Great Falls' 48th against 29 losses this summer, came before 1,232 fans at Centene Stadium.

The Voyagers rebounded from a 5-3 loss in the opening game in Helena. The team had won six in a row and 15 of 17 entering the series.

A victory today at Centene Stadium (4:00 PM start, 5:00 Central) would put Great Falls in the championship series for the third time in the past four seasons. The Northern Division champion will face the Ogden Raptors or the defending league champion Orem Owlz. That series is tied 1-1.

Helena scored one run on two hits in the first inning, but Burnside quickly settled down and surrendered only one hit over the next five frames. He retired 12 of 14 Brewer batters after giving up a leadoff double to Cody Hawn in the top of the third, and left the park with his team-high eighth victory.

Murray earned his third save after working the final three innings. He allowed two hits, the last a solo home run by Robbie Garvey with two outs in the ninth.

"Our pitching staff gave us a great performance. Burnside pitched a great game," said first baseman Ryan Hamme, who had two hits and scored the go-ahead run in the Voyagers' four-run sixth inning. "It was a team game. We got good pitching and defense."

And balanced hitting. Earley, Ross Wilson and Andy Wilkins also had two hits each, and Michael Blanke added one. The bottom third of the order went hitless, but Randall Thorpe had a sacrifice fly that plated Great Falls' first run; Dusty Harvard stole a base before scoring in the sixth, and Kyle Davis walked and scored in the sixth.

 

"We had some timely hitting tonight," manager Chris Cron said. "Last night we had a few opportunities that we didn't capitalize on. We rode momentum tonight.

 

"Hamme had a big double to start the sixth, then Vera had a nice hit. There was a lot of momentum things (in the sixth inning)."

"We played a better defensive game, we handled the ball better," said Hamme, comparing Saturday's victory to Friday's loss. "Things didn't go our way last night (in Helena)."

After retiring the first two batters he faced, Burnside surrendered a single to Greg Hopkins. Mike Walker followed with a single to right, scoring Hawn and advancing Hopkins to third. Rafael Neda then drew a walk, loading the bases, but Burnside buckled down and struck out John Dishon to end the inning.

"To me the biggest part of the game was in the first inning," Cron said. "Burnside kept the game intact. It could have gotten away from us.

"He settled down and went on to pitch five good innings."

Burnside gave up four walks but struck out six.

"Murray did an outstanding job. He continued on his nice year," Cron said. Murray fanned three Brewers and didn't allow a walk.

Hamme doubled to right center on a 0-1 pitch by Alex Jones, the third of five Helena pitchers, to lead off Great Falls' half of the sixth inning. He advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Vera's third hit, a single to right.

Harvard reached on a fielder's choice and took third when fielding error by second baseman Shea Vucinich.

Davis drew a walk off Jose Sanchez, loading the bases, and Earley followed with a single that plated both Vera and Harvard to expand the Voyagers' lead to 4-1.

Davis raced home on a perfect suicide squeeze bunt by Wilson, giving Great Falls a four-run cushion.

Wilson singled with two outs in the eighth and scored on a double by Wilkins.

"We'll come out and play hard and let the chips fall where they may," said Hamme of today's game. "We'll play as hard as we can."

"We'll try to do what we do. We'll take care of what we can," Cron said.

Stephen Upchurch (4-2, 3.78 ERA) will start on the mound for the Voyagers.

 

Great Falls' Michael Earley tries to break up a double play at second as Helena second baseman Shea Vucinich makes a throw to first for the double play in the bottom of the first inning of Saturday night's Pioneer playoff game at Centene Stadium. The Voyagers beat the Brewers 6-2 to send the series to a third game this afternoon at 4:00 PM --5:00 Central. (TRIBUNE PHOTO/LARRY BECKNER)

 

http://cmsimg.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=G1&Date=20100912&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=9120316&Ref=AR&Profile=1006&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

[Mass Haas]

The lead post in this thread has been updated to reflect Sunday's updated info and box score / game log links.

[Mass Haas]

RHP Tyler Cravy is your starter today.

 

Here's your lineup --

 

Player	Pos	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Garvey	LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.375
Vucinich	2B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Hawn	DH	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333
Hopkins	3B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.375
Walker	1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.429
Allison	CF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Neda	C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333
Dishon	RF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.143
George	SS	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.125
Cravy	P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

I just joked with Steve that my Patriots are done, and that the Packers aren't the distraction for me it is for many of you folks...

[Mass Haas]

Nice start, 1-0:

 

Helena Top of the 1st

• Robert Garvey walks.
  
• Shea Vucinich grounds out, third baseman Andy Wilkins to first baseman Ryan Hamme. Robert Garvey to 2nd.
  
• Cody Hawn doubles (3) on a fly ball to right fielder Michael Earley. Robert Garvey scores.
  
• Gregory Hopkins grounds out, shortstop Kyle Davis to first baseman Ryan Hamme. Cody Hawn to 3rd.
  
• Michael Walker flies out to center fielder Randall Thorpe.

[Mass Haas]

Helena wins, 9-5 and it's on to the Pioneer League Finals!

 

Relievers Eric Marzec and Brian Garman recorded the final seven Great Falls outs via the strikeout route. Tyler Cravy gutted out a six-inning start, and every position player contributed. (Hey, Steve just said Cravy "gutted out" as well as I typed, and I hadn't hit "post" yet.) A five-run 3rd inning gave the H-Crew a 6-0 lead.

 

Details during the overnight -- the Brewers will host either Orem or Ogden, and what a series that's been. Ogden has come back from a 7-0 deficit after the top of the 1st to take a 10-9 lead in the 7th.

 

Congrats, guys!

[colbyjack]

Congrats Helena!

 

Does anyone know why Tyler Thornburg hasn't appeared since August 31st, his 10 K performance over Billings?

[battlekow]

Final (game three): Helena 9, @Great Falls 5

Helena coasts into Pioneer League Championship

Brett Billings/Helena Brewers

 

The Helena Brewers' championship hopes came down to one game against the Great Falls Voyagers. The losers would go home while the winners played for the Pioneer League Championship. Helena hadn't played for a league championship since 2005 when they lost to Orem two games to none. The 2010 team led by first-year coach Joe Ayrault decided to try their luck this year as they downed Great Falls 9-5 at Centene Stadium in Great Falls, Montana to advance to play for the league title.

 

The Brewers got on the board in the first inning and never looked back. Robbie Garvey led started the game with a walk and later scored on a double by Cody Hawn.

 

Helena batted around in the third inning. Garvey singled to start the rally and Shea Vucinich was hit by a pitch. Hawn, who finished 2 for 4 with a double, lined in Garvey and advanced Vucinich to third. After Greg Hopkins struck out, Mike Walker singled to score Vucinich. Kenny Allison drew a free pass to load the bases, and Rafael Neda moved everybody over and scored Hawn with a single to left field. The Brewers' fifth and final run of the inning came when Carlos George scored Allison with a sacrifice fly.

 

Great Falls wasn't going down without a fight. They answered for two in the bottom of the inning to cut their deficit to 6-2, but Helena answered for one more in the top of the fourth with Hopkins singling in Vucinich, who also singled in the inning.

 

The Voyagers scored again in the fifth and sixth to pull within three, but that was as close as they would get as the Brewers rallied for two more in the seventh. Catcher Neda doubled in Hopkins. A batter later, John Dishon scored Walker with a sacrifice fly.

 

RHP Tyler Cravy (1-0, 6.00) received the win for the Brewers. Cravy, who was selected by Milwaukee in the 17th round of the 2009 draft, pitched six innings while allowing four runs on seven hits. He struck out seven and issued two walks.

 

Rob Currie entered the game in the seventh inning but was pulled with two outs after allowing a run on two hits and walk. The last time an opponent scored off of Currie was on August 25th at Casper. The St. Charles, Illinois native had only allowed one run in his last 13.2 innings leading up to this game.

 

Eric Marzec finished the inning without any more damage and also tossed a scoreless eighth. He recorded four outs in the contest, all by way of strikeouts.

 

RHP Brian Garman finished the game in style by striking out the side in the ninth.

 

The Brewers will now return home to face the Ogden Raptors for the first game of a best-of-three series to decide the Pioneer League Champions. The game is scheduled for Tuesday, September 14th at 7:05 PM. The series will then move to Ogden for the second game and a third if necessary. For ticket prices and information, call the ticket office at 495-0500.

 

Helena box score

Neato, gang! Hawn, who was a force in the three-game series despite nursing that hamstring injury, also walked. Neda had three hits, and Walker and Hopkins both had two.

 

Helena play-by-play

[Mass Haas]

Brewers down Voyagers, claim Northern Division

By MIKE TOWNE, Great Falls Tribune Sports Writer

 

The Great Falls Voyagers rallied for numerous victories on their home turf this summer, but on Sunday the Helena Brewers put the Pioneer League's winningest team in an early hole it couldn't climb out of.

 

The Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, then exploded for five runs on four hits in the third to go up 6-0. The Voyagers got no closer than three runs the rest of the way and Helena left Centene Stadium with a 9-5 win and its first Northern Division championship since 2005.

After going 6-10 against Great Falls in the regular season, Helena won the playoff series 2-1. The Brewers took the opener 5-3 Friday night in Helena and lost 6-2 in Great Falls on Saturday.

Helena (43-35) will play host to the Ogden Raptors in the first game of the best-of-three league championship series, set for Tuesday night.

Ogden defeated the defending champion Orem Owlz 12-9 on Sunday to win the Southern Division championship series two games to one.

The loss ended a fine season for the Voyagers. Manager Chris Cron's club won both the first- and second-half Northern Division titles and had the league's best regular-season record (47-28).

Helena catcher Rafael Neda led an 11-hit attack with two singles and a double. Cody Hawn, Greg Hopkins and Mike Walker each chipped in a pair of hits. Walker, Shea Vucinich and Robbie Garvey each scored two runs, and Neda, Hawn and John Dishon had two RBIs apiece.

Starting pitcher Tyler Cravy worked six solid innings, surrendering four runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out seven. Eric Marzec and Brian Garman, the Brewers' second and third relievers, combined to allow no runs on three hits while striking out seven in the final 2 1/3 frames. Garman struck out the side in the ninth.

"Baseball starts with starting pitching, and Cravy did a great job for us," said Hawn, who played well despite a bad hamstring. "But everyone did their job. We were looking forward to this game. We came ready to play, for sure."

"Great Falls is a heck of a team and Chris Cron is a great manager. We had a lot of good battles this season," Helena manager Joe Ayrault said. "Our goal was to get to the divisional series and win it. Now we'll go for the ring.

 

"We have a lot of great guys, great team chemistry," he added. "I couldn't be happier."

 

Cron had good things to say about the Brewers. "Helena plays the game right. We wish them luck (in the championship series)," he said.

He was sorry to see the season come to an end, of course, but not disappointed with his team's effort on Sunday. "We just couldn't get over the hump. Our guys weren't going to quit," he said. "We battled back and battled back, but Helena kept battling. They won more battles than we did.

"I think there definitely were no doubts in (the Brewers') minds that we wouldn't quit, that we were still in it (until the final out)."

Garvey opened the game by drawing a walk on five pitches by Steven Upchurch. He advanced to second on a ground-out and made it 1-0 when Hawn ripped a double to center field.

Helena sent 10 batters to the plate in the third inning. Hawn, Walker and Neda each had RBI-singles, expanding the Brewers' lead to 4-0. Dishon drew a bases-loaded walk, scoring Walker and spelling the end for Upchurch, who gave up six runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Carlos George hit a sacrifice fly off Nelson Curry, plating Kenny Allison to give Helena a 6-0 lead.

Ross Wilson hit a solo home run in Great Falls' half of the third, but the Brewers got that run back on an RBI-single by Hopkins in the top of the fourth.

The Voyagers scored single runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, on Michael Earley's towering home run over the center field wall and Dusty Harvard's single to left, to whittle the deficit to 7-4.

But Helena came right back again, scoring two runs in the top of the seventh. Neda doubled home Hopkins, who had led off with a single against Jacob Wilson. Walker singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Dishon, making it 9-4.

In Great Falls' half of the seventh, Ryan Hamme's third hit of the game, a single to right, scored Ross Wilson for the game's final run.

Wilson and Vera had two hits each for the Voyagers. Earley and Wilson scored two runs apiece, and Wilson had a two RBIs.

"We can't be disappointed with what we accomplished. But doggone it, we lost the last game, and that leaves a pit in your stomach," he added. "We'll step back in a few days and be proud of what we did.

"Every one of our players got better. I'm proud of what we accomplished."

[Mass Haas]

Brewers brush aside Great Falls, will play for Pioneer League title

By AMBER KUEHN, Helena Independent Record

GREAT FALLS — With a Pioneer League North Division Championship hanging in the balance, Brian Garman did what he’s done all season.

 

On a 2-2 count to Great Falls catcher Mike Blanke, the Helena Brewers closer sent a nasty slider over the middle of the plate to strike out the side for a 9-5 win at Centene Stadium on Sunday.

 

This win was bigger than most. The Brewers overcame adversity to win a game 3 of the best-of-three Pioneer League North Division playoff series on the road, beating the team with the best overall record in the Pioneer League and the North squad that had won both halves.

 

“It was a relief to get it over with, it was exhilarating after I got it out of the way,” the southpaw Garman said of getting the final out.

 

Helena advances to the Pioneer League Championship Series for the first time since 2005. The Brewers will face Southern Division champ Ogden in game one of the best-of-three series Tuesday at Kindrick Legion Field. First pitch is slated for 7:05 PM (8:05 Central).

 

“This is great, this is what we’ve been playing for since day one,” said first-year Brewers manager Joe Ayrault. Ayrault laid out three goals for his team at the beginning of the year: make the playoffs, win the North Division and win a Pioneer League championship ring.

 

Helena can cross two of those off the list.

 

“We’ve got the confidence rolling and great team chemistry,” the skipper said. “It’s a great feeling, but we’ve still got some unfinished business to take care of.”

 

Brewers starter Tyler Cravy was tenacious through six tough innings, working out of several jams and leaving many Voyagers baserunners stranded. Cravy earned his first win of the postseason after striking out seven against seven hits, four runs and two walks.

 

“I was pretty nervous, and I didn’t have my best stuff so it was good to get a lot of run support,” Cravy said. “I think the last time I was in any kind of championship game was when I was 14 or 15.”

 

Voyagers starter Steven Upchurch was not the master on the mound Sunday as he had been all season. Upchurch struggled from the get-go, and was done after 2 1/3 innings after allowing six earned runs on six its and walking three Brewers.

 

“We did a great job getting on Upchurch early,” Ayrault said. “He was a guy who had done well against us all year.”

 

The Brewers had the better bullpen in this one. Garman was the third different pitcher for the Brewers to strike out the side in an inning, after Cravy did so in the fourth — after giving up a leadoff double to Rafael Vera — and Eric Marzec fanned six of the eight batters he faced.

 

Great Falls was 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position in the contest, while Helena was 6 for 13 after struggling in that area the first two games of the series.

 

If the Helena pitchers were the stars, the Brewers’ bats were the supporting cast. The visitors pounded out 11 hits, and were led at the plate by Cody Hawn, who batted the Brewers’ first two runs in, and Rafael Neda, who was 3 for 4 with two RBIs and a double—his first extra-base hit in a Helena uniform.

 

“It was a great feeling,” said the catcher, who was promoted from the Arizona League a few weeks ago. “I just wanted to help my team.”

 

A night after Great Falls used a four-run sixth inning to push ahead of Helena, the Brewers got a big inning of their own, scoring five runs in the third frame. They also had a strong night defensively in the field, not recording a single error.

 

Ross Wilson homered for the Voyagers, while first baseman Ryan Hamme was 3 for 4 with an RBI. Rafael Vera, who had a perfect night at the plate in Great Falls’ lone win of the series, was 2 for 4 with two doubles.

 

“In order to win games like this, with so much on the line, we have to do it as a team,” Garman said. “Our offense did well, pitching was good, defense was good...it was a good day for baseball.”

 

Ogden 12, Orem 9

 

OGDEN, Utah—After giving up seven runs in the first inning, the Ogden Raptors battled back to tie the Pioneer League South Division Championship in the fourth frame, then go on to beat the defending league champion Orem Owlz to set up a title matchup with Helena.

 

The Raptors held Orem scoreless over the final four frames while pushing across five more runs for the victory.

 

Six different players for Ogden had multiple hits, including league MVP Jake Lemmerman, who was 2 for 4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI. Center fielder Leon Landry turned in a 3-for-4 performance, came home three times and pounded two of his teammates in.