Post-mortems continue to roll in on Division Finals

From the Midland Daily News, here is the writeup on the Loons loss at Fort Wayne.

"What a game, another thriller. It just wasn't meant to be (for us)," Loons' manager Juan Bustabad said via cellphone. " ... I'm proud of our team. They played their hearts out. They have nothing to be ashamed of. We got beat by a good team."

[Rob] Lara was an unlikely hero for the TinCaps, having gone hitless throughout the postseason and having managed only two homers during the regular season before taking Loons' closer Cole St. Clair deep.

"It was just a fastball, and he smoked it," Bustabad said of Lara. "He hit it good. You've got to give the kid credit."

The game, which was close throughout, was not without controversy.

In the bottom of the eighth, with Great Lakes leading 3-2, Fort Wayne's Jaff Decker stepped to the plate with two outs. St. Clair delivered a pitch up-and-in to Decker, and home plate umpire Greg Stanzak ruled that the pitch had struck Decker on the hand.

Following a brief dispute between Stanzak and Bustabad, Decker was awarded first base.

The next batter, Vincent Belnome, rifled a double to deep centerfield to score Decker, tying the game and eventually forcing extra innings.

Bustabad said he wasn't sure if the pitch struck Decker's hand or the knob of the bat, or both.

"It's a tough call (for the umpire to make)," Bustabad admitted. "It could've gone either way. You never want to (bash) the umpires, but it was a questionable call."

Bustabad applauded Belnome for capitalizing on the opportunity.

"Belnome got a big hit for them with two outs," he said. "That was clutch right there."

From The Hawkeye in Burlington here is the writeup after the Bees' win at Cedar Rapids moved them into their second straight MWL Championship series.

The Bees had just enough to fend them off.

Burlington rode Jason Taylor's two-out, two-run home run in the first inning, and three strong pitching outings, to a 2-1 victory at Veterans Memorial Stadium, and into the championship series for the second year in a row.

"It was a great team effort tonight and I can't say enough about my teammates," said Taylor, one of two remaining players along with Juan Rivera from the 2008 title squad. "We all came together. Everybody made good plays."

"Who'd have thought two runs in the first inning would be the final run?" said Bees manager Jim Gabella. "Played solid defense and pitching was outstanding. That's what we've done the past month and that's why we're in the position we're in."

Taylor took Cedar Rapids starter Will Smith over the left-field wall, over the porch, and out of the stadium. The bomb scored David Wood, who got on ahead of Tayor with a broken-bat single to shallow center.

"I knew it was a big hit in the game because it put us up early and it's a lot easier to play with a lead," said Taylor, who hit a home run in the first round against Kane County. "But no, I didn't expect the home run to be the only run scored. When it comes down to it, I'm glad I hit it now."

So are the folks in Burlington, Jason.