Link Report for Tue. 9/10 -- Helena sweeps, moves on to league final

[Mass Haas]

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[Mass Haas]

Helena: RHP Barrett Astin at home vs. Great Falls (White Sox), 7:45 PM Central pre-game, 8:05 gametime; Brewers lead league semifinal best-of-three series 1-0; game three in Helena Wednesday if necessary

 

Free Live Audio Link

 

Voice of the Helena Brewers Steve Wendt is back on board, and this year he's added Twitter to the mix @steve_wendt. We've been treated to Steve's work for many years now (ten!); he is among the very best at the art of the pre-game interview, especially considering how at ease he makes all these first-time professional ballplayers.

 

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Follow Tuesday's action as it happens with box score / game log links:

 

Helena Box Score / Game Log

 

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Weather.com:

 

Helena, MT

[Mass Haas]

New this season: Helena has media notes; it's a unique link each day, but look for it just prior to game time each day within the "Stats and Scores" banner here.

[Mass Haas]

Hope you're listening, currently 7-5 Brewers through the 7th at 10:30 Central.

 

As noted on Twitter --

 

#Brewers OF Michael Ratterree, Pioneer League MVP, has been to the plate ten times in this playoff series thus far. He's reached nine times.

 

Thru 7 innings, @helenabrewers 3-4-5 hitters (Ratterree, Giacalone and Pena) have combined to reach base 12 times in 12 plate appearances.

[MTBrew]

Helena wins 8-6 to advance to championship series.

Very very good job by Razo in relief of Astin to settle things down.

Albury and Poppe excellent as well. Alexander lights out for 1.2 IP,

nasty curve and wicked slider, K'ed 4 of the 5 he faced.

The bats never gave up and ground this one out.

[battlekow]

Final: @Helena 8, Great Falls 6

 

Brewers Sweep Their Way to Finals

By Zac Vierra / Helena Brewers

 

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On a night when the Brewer bullpen was outstanding, it was only fitting that fourth man out of the pen struck out the side to send Helena to the Pioneer League Championship Series as Tyler Alexander retired Jacob Morris with a breaking ball to give Helena an 8-6 win over Great Falls

 

Alexander (above) pumped his fist and his teammates joyfully greeted him on the mound as the Brewers had moved on.

 

Tuesday's win completed a sweep for the Brewers as they returned the favor of the season-ending beat down the Voyagers put on Helena.

 

"I've been proud of them even when we lost but for them to do the things that they did, losing the last four games and then playing the way that they have the last two, that speaks volumes for them, that's all on them. That shows heart, that shows character, good job on their part," said Helena manger Tony Diggs.

 

It was a night when things did not look good for Helena early as Brewer starter Barrett Astin allowed five runs and could not retire a batter in the second inning.

 

With the game possibly in the balance, Diggs called upon Chris Razo in the second and the right hander was outstanding tossing four scoreless innings earn the win.

 

Much like he did in the regular season, Razo kept the Brewers in the game and swooped up a victory when his teammates battled back.

 

"The vulture showed up again," said a smiling Diggs. "That shows that he has been doing it all year holding us right there and giving us a chance to win the game. The bats came back to life and he deserved this one."

 

Razo was followed by Sean Albury, Tanner Poppe, and Alexander, a trio that allowed just one run in the final four frames.

 

"The scoreboard shows it all. The bullpen comes in shuts them down. They allowed one run in the last seven innings. That speaks volumes about our bullpen and they way they stepped it up," said Diggs.

 

Pioneer League MVP Michael Ratterree had a great performance going 2 for 2 with three walks and four runs scored. He was retired just once by Great Falls all series.

 

But as impressive as Ratterree was at the plate it was a huge defensive play that might have given his team a spark in the top of the fifth inning.

 

With the Brewers trailing 5-3 with two outs in the frame and Corey Thompson on second, Christian Stringer hit a single to right field. Ratterree came up firing and threw a bullet home to nail Thompson by a mile and end the inning.

 

"If [Ratterree] doesn't throw him out we are still playing right now so that's a great job by Ratterree right there," said Diggs.

 

Just like that the Brewers were out of a jam and in the bottom of the frame they took the momentum and ran with it.

 

After a walk, a single, and a hit by pitch, Dustin Houle singled to left to make it a one run deficit.

 

Taylor Brennan would then provide the biggest hit of the game when he sliced a two-run double to right to give the Brewers a 6-5 lead.

 

It was the first time the Brewers had led all game and they would not trail again.

 

"I think Brennan's actions at second base showed how much he was pumped up. He did a good job of staying on the ball, not trying to get too big, something that he has been trying to work on all season and it showed up right here," said Diggs.

 

Jose Pena, who went 2 for 2 with 3 RBI, helped give the Brewers some insurance late, drawing a bases loaded walk in the sixth along with plating Ratterree with a RBI single in the eighth.

 

The two run lead was plenty for Alexander who struck out four of the five batters he faced to earn the save.

 

After not leading once in Game One, the Voyagers didn't waste any time getting on top in the second game of the series. With two outs and runners on first and second, Zac Fisher hit a single up the middle and Danny Hayes beat the throw home to give Great Falls a 1-0 lead.

 

Jacob Morris would then pull a two-run double into the corner in left.

 

The Brewers would get a run back in the bottom of the frame when Ratterree drew a two-out walk and Adam Giacalone smoked a double into the gap in right-center to drive him in.

 

But the Voyagers would strike back in the second as Adam Engel hit a two-run bomb off Astin and one batter later Razo was into the game.

 

In the third inning the Brewers would begin to chip away. After Ratterree walked and Giacalone singled, Pena hit a base hit to center to make it a 5-2 game.

 

The Brewers would grab another run in the fourth inning when Jalen Harris led off with a triple to right and scored when Matt Abramson threw a wild pitch.

 

Helena would then take the lead on Brennan's double in the fifth.

 

The Brewers advance to the Pioneer League Championship Series for the first time since 2010, the year of the team's last championship.

 

Helena will face the winner of the series between Grand Junction and Idaho Falls. The first game of the series will take place Saturday night.

 

Helena box score

 

Helena play-by-play

[Mass Haas]

James Ridle photo, Blackfoot Media Group

 

Helena’s Michael Ratterree dives back to first base during a pick-off attempt in a playoff game Tuesday against the Great Falls Voyagers.

 

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[Mass Haas]

Brewers send Voyagers packing

by Jesse Geleynse, Tribune Sports Writer

 

HELENA — The beauty of baseball lies in the fact that you always get another chance.

 

Helena Brewers third baseman Taylor Brennan didn’t miss his opportunity as his bases-loaded two-run double gave the Brewers their first lead in the sixth inning. Helena held on to beat the Great Falls Voyagers 8-6 and sweep the best-of-three Pioneer League North Division Championship Series in front of 984 fans here at Kindrick-Legion Field.

 

“It’s a great feeling,” said Brennan, who made the final out of the first and third innings. “My teammates did a great job getting on base and giving me the opportunity to get the job done.”

 

It was an abrupt end for the Voyagers, who coasted into the postseason with the league’s best overall record and a six-game winning streak. But Helena proved the better team Monday and Tuesday as they pounded out 11 more hits Tuesday after a 16-5 shellacking of the Voyagers Monday at Centene Stadium.

 

“They’re a really good team and I wish them nothing but the best in the finals,” Voyagers manager Pete Rose Jr. said. “They out-played us and you have to tip your cap to them and wish them the best of luck.”

 

The Voyagers plated five runs in the first two innings, but were unable to hold a 5-1 lead.

 

Neither starter was particularly sharp, and both were gone by the fourth inning. Brewers’ starter Barrett Astin lasted just one-plus innings, allowing five earned runs and four walks. Voyagers’ starter Andrew Mitchell was lifted after three innings having allowed two runs on three hits and four walks of his own.

 

Instead it was Brewers reliever Chris Razo who enabled Helena’s comeback. Razo allowed one hit in four scoreless innings as the Brewers scratched their way back into the game and into the lead.

 

“He got us back in the game for sure,” Brennan said. “He did a great job.”

 

The Voyagers took a 5-3 lead into the sixth inning. Brennan gave the Brewers the lead at 6-5 as he greeted reliever Anthony Santiago with a bases-loaded double in the sixth.

 

“We always hit eventually,” Brennan said. “It might come late, but we always hit.”

 

Santiago’s struggles continued in the sixth as he allowed a double and a single, then back-to-back walks to force in another run to make it 7-5.

 

The first two Voyagers reached in the eighth. Justin Jirschele was called out at third on a double steal attempt for the first out, but Adam Engel dunked a single into right field to score Christian Stringer and slice the lead to 7-6.

 

“Questionable call at third and I think that ballgame’s tied, but that’s baseball,” Rose said. “No sour grapes here. They beat us fair and square. We had our chances and we didn’t capitalize.”

 

The Brewers answered with an insurance run in the bottom of the frame. Michael Ratterree ripped a one-out double and Jose Pena drove Ratterree in when his grounder glanced off shortstop Tyler Shryock’s glove for an RBI single.

 

Tyler Alexander struck out the side in the ninth to end the Voyagers’ season.

 

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of our group,” Rose said. “They had an unbelievable season. We just came out a little bit short. They played their tails off and played until the end.”

 

The Voyagers took an early lead in the first with an RBI single by Zac Fisher and a two-run double by Jacob Morris.

 

Adam Giacalone’s two-out double to the gap in right-center scored Ratterree as the Brewers cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the first.

 

Engel homered to left-center with Christian Stringer aboard in the top of the second inning to stretch the lead to 5-1.

 

Pena’s RBI single scored Ratterree in the third, and Jalen Harris tripled and scored on a wild pitch in the fourth to cut the Voyagers’ lead to 5-3.

 

“We got on them early and we just didn’t put up the zeroes when we had to,” Rose said. “(Razo) threw well and you have to tip your cap to them.”

[Mass Haas]

Helena storms back and into Finals

Ratterree reaches five times to rally to win in Pioneer clincher

By Jonathan Raymond / MiLB.com

 

Helena had no trouble winning the opener of the best-of-3 Pioneer League semifinal series against Great Falls. While the degree of difficulty changed in the second game Tuesday, the performance of Michael Ratterree did not.

 

The Rookie-level Brewers fell behind early, 5-1, but stormed back to take the lead in the fifth inning and didn't relinquish it en route to sweeping the Voyagers with an 8-6 victory.

 

Ratterree, the star of Monday's 16-5 win with a three-hit, four-RBI performance, led the Brewers again on Tuesday. The Pioneer League MVP reached safely in all five trips to the plate, finishing 2-for-2 with a double, three walks, four runs scored and even an outfield assist at home plate that denied Great Falls a run.

 

"It was great to get on base for my team every at-bat and give my team a chance to score runs," he said. "We got down early but we were real confident in what our team can do, what our bats can do. We never get down when we're behind."

 

The Brewers clawed back from their early deficit with runs in the third and fourth, then plated three in the fifth and another in the sixth.

 

Ratterree led off the fifth with a walk and crossed the plate on Dustin Houle's single to tally the first run of the fifth. Then Taylor Brennan doubled in two runs to give Helena its first lead of the game.

 

"This is the way they played all year long, always with a never-say-die type of attitude," said Brewers manager Tony Diggs. "They continue to play for 27 outs and that's what we preached from Day 1. It didn't surprise me today what they did. That's their mentality as a team."

 

Designated hitter Jose Pena went 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two walks and Adam Giacalone added three hits, including a double, and an RBI.

 

The best-of-3 Pioneer League Championship Series will begin Saturday. With the postponement of the Idaho Falls-Grand Junction game Tuesday, those two teams were scheduled to play a doubleheader Wednesday, if necessary, to determine Helena's opponent. The Chukars won the series opener, 7-1.

 

Ratterree said his team will be ready for the challenge.

 

"We're real excited about the opportunity to play for a championship together. We've got a bunch of good guys on this team. We all like playing with each other and we want to keep playing, continue to win. We're having fun and we're pretty confident as a group," he said.

 

Michael Ratterree went 5-for-6 with five walks in the two-game series.

 

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[Mass Haas]

VIDEO from the early innings - unfortunately, that's when Great Falls did their own damage

[TheCrew07]

Awesome for the Helena team and staff, I've been so busy I haven't caught any of Steve in the playoffs this year. This team has some interesting/legit prospects on it at least, unlike the veteran team that won in WI last year.

[yoshii8]

So is Michael Ratterree a legit prospect, or just a four year college guy that is playing against guys younger than him? I'd like to hear from some the Helena fans.

[Mass Haas]

Happy Wednesday Birthday to 26-year-old Huntsville RHP Andy Moye.

 

As for Brewers still playing, Helena SS Angel Ortega turned 20 today. The 2012 6th round pick out of Puerto Rico has struggled offensively but been at times spectacular defensively from the reports we've heard /read. All 109 games of action in his pro career have been exclusively at shortstop.

[Mass Haas]

Here's your Helena pre-playoff audio fix with newly released pre-game interviews via Steve Wendt --

 

AUDIO 9/8 - 2013 3rd round RHP Barrett Astin out of the University of Arkansas talks about how he has improved this season and his upcoming start in the playoffs; conducted before the two-game series sweep over Great Falls

 

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AUDIO 9/9: Helena Brewers manager Tony Diggs talks about the upcoming playoff series and the match up with the Great Falls Voyagers; obviously conducted before the two-game series sweep over Great Falls

 

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AUDIO 9/10: 2013 21st round RHP Tristan Archer out of Tennessee Tech talks about pitching in the playoffs for the first time and the series with Great Falls; conducted after Game One of the two-game series sweep

 

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By the way, Saturday night's Game One in Idaho Falls will be televised on MiLb.TV at 8:05 Central. If you're not already a subscriber, looks like it'll be $9.99 for you. Small price to pay for Helena friends and family. The game can be watched on archive if you can't view it live.

 

After a travel day Sunday, Game Two and Game Three (if necessary) are in Helena Monday and Tuesday - no TV on those, but we'll be listening to Steve's championship call.

[TheCrew07]

Very few surprises here if you've been keeping up all season, the Cubs have a couple of 1st teamers.

 

2013 Minor League All-Star Team