Midwest League Action (9/3)

September 3 playoff scoreboard.

@South Bend 5, West Michigan 3.

From the South Bend Tribune:

South Bend committed six errors and West Michigan five, but the Silver Hawks collected 12 hits to win their playoff opener, 5-3, over the Whitecaps Wednesday night at Coveleski Stadium.
...
Catcher Sean Coughlin enjoyed a 4-for-4 night, scored one and drove in two.

"I saw some good pitches and ran into a couple of them,'' said Coughlin. "I haven't been able to find any holes lately, but was able to at the right time tonight.''
...
West Michigan manager Joe DePastino had a simple explanation for the errors.

"This is the worst infield in the league,'' said DePastino. "And that plays into the fielders' heads.''

and this

Panic isn't part of the South Bend Silver Hawks' standard issue.

Giving up 10 runs in the first inning of the season opener? It happens.

A 2-14 start of the season? No problem, just get better for Game 17.
...
The late infusion of college talent, midseason arrivals like center fielder Ollie Linton, Cowgill, White and pitchers Jeff Dietz, Pat McAnaney and Daniel Schlereth, didn't upset the delicate balance of chemistry.

"Hey, if they produce, 'C'mon, hop on the wagon,'" Walker said. "Those (college) guys were a breath of fresh air. They came in producing. They got off the plane swinging."

From the Grand Rapids Press

"It was a very ugly game and it could have been a little bit of nerves, but to be honest with you, this is one of the worst playing fields to play on when it comes to the way the ball hops," he said. "Both teams were on their heels because they don't have a clue which way it will hop."

and this

Pitcher Thad Weber has pitched in the NCAA Regionals for the University of Nebraska and in front 20,000 fans at Rosenblatt Stadium, home of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

The big-game experience he gained in those situations will be what Weber will rely on tonight in Game 2 of the Midwest League Eastern Division playoffs at Fifth Third Ballpark between the West Michigan Whitecaps and the South Bend Silver Hawks.

@Dayton 3, Lansing 1:

Everybody in the crowd at Fifth Third Field on Wednesday, Sept. 3, understood starter Jeremy Horst deserved an ovation, and they gave it to him, standing.

It was Horst who won the Dragons' opening playoff game, with Neftali Soto's two-run double the determining blow in a 3-1 Dragons victory over Lansing as the Midwest League playoffs opened. Cincinnati Reds General Manager Walk Jocketty and some of his staff watched.

@Cedar Rapids 3, Clinton 0:

So much for doubting the Cedar Rapids Kernels coaching staff for picking Esmerlin Jimenez to be the starting pitcher for Game 1 of this Midwest League playoff series. Those guys knew what they were doing.

Photo Credit: Cliff Jette/The Gazette

@Burlington 5, Kane County 3:

"It didn't look real good early," said Burlington manager Brian Rupp. "Their starter did a heck of a job. We needed to find a way to at least make a dent in it, kind of get the guys some confidence. (Jason Taylor) with that big homer in the seventh and some real big at-bats there in the eighth seemed to not only go ahead and give us a little breathing room which obviously we needed."