The rest of the Midwest League Game Ones...

...and a few other things.

Swing can't snap skid in playoffs

The second season began the same way the first one ended for the Swing of the Quad-Cities — quietly.

Beloit bunched four of its seven hits together and scored all of its runs during the fourth inning of a 3-0 win Wednesday at John O’Donnell Stadium.

You are going to want to read the following article in its entirety.

Q-C manager fined $500

After a Labor Day weekend confrontation during a game in Beloit, Midwest League president George Spelius has slapped Swing of the Quad-Cities manager Keith Mitchell with a $500 fine.

Mitchell called the fine unwarranted and excessive and said after Wednesday’s league playoff opener that he believes it was handed out with malice.

Spelius had Mitchell physically removed from the stands at Beloit’s Pohlman Field when the Swing manager attempted to talk to the league president several innings after Mitchell had been ejected from Monday’s game for disputing a call at third base.

“All I wanted to do was talk to the guy. He didn’t want to listen. All he wanted to do was put me down, demoralize me in front of the crowd,’’ Mitchell said. “I’m not going to let anyone defame me. I’m not going to let anyone discriminate against me. I’m not sure why, but he has something against me, and it’s personal.’’

It gets better....or worse depending.

Dragons post playoff win in South Bend

Depth in the Reds farm system — missing in recent seasons — showed itself Wednesday night for the Dayton Dragons, who used it in an opening-round playoff game against South Bend.

Brandon Waring, Carson Kainer and Todd Frazier — three players who did not start the season with the team — provided the big hits and pitcher Daniel Guerrero, who also joined the party late, went eight innings at Coveleski Stadium to beat the SilverHawks 3-1.

The South Bend Tribune is not confident

Hawks face playoff knockout

The best-of-three series continues tonight at Dayton, and from South Bend's viewpoint, hopefully will continue on Friday. The Hawks need to win twice to keep their season alive.

Caps strike first in playoffs vs. Lansing

The performances of West Michigan starting pitcher Duane Below and outfielder Jeramy Laster stopped Lansing's momentum in its tracks.

West Michigan bounced back from its three-game whipping to beat the Lugnuts 6-2, snapping Lansing's 14-game home winning streak, but more importantly, taking a 1-0 in the best-of-three series in a contest played before a crowd of 1,238.

The Whitecaps' six runs were scored on four home runs after two were out. Laster cleared the fence twice on a pair of two-run homers. Scott Sizemore and Ryan Strieby hit solo shots.

And whom to thank for Jeramy Laster? Why Mom, of course.

Mom's pep talk works for Laster

There was a time in spring training when Jeramy Laster considered another line of work.

After hitting .233 with nine homers with the West Michigan Whitecaps a year ago, Laster started this spring at high A Lakeland but was re-assigned to the Whitecaps by mid-March after collecting one hit in six spring games. His situation did not greatly improve after breaking camp, with him hitting .238 through June 1.

That is when a call to his mother, Jeantella Laster, not only changed his season, but likely salvaged his career with the Detroit Tigers.

The Lugnuts are wishing that call never happened.

Lugs drop Game 1

"He's done a lot of damage against us (this season)," Lansing manager Gary Cathcart said. "He got two pitches up in the zone and he doesn't miss too many of those."