1997 IIBL Divisional Playoffs
Savannah vs Hana; Bellingham vs Carolina
[1997 World Series][1997 Conference Playoffs][History][Home]

Larry Walker got the game's only RBIs, as Kevin Brown bested Greg Maddux, 2-0. Brown scattered just three singles and allowed 1 walk in going the route.

Generals 002  000  000  2 9 0
Storm     000  000  000  0 3 1
SAV - Brown (W, 1-0); HAN - Maddux (L, 0-1), Radinsky (9)

Game 2 at Hana
Kile (15-11) vs Smoltz (19-9)

Bats failed the Storm again, as Kile scattered 5 hits over 7 innings. Yet the game was 1-1, as Bagwell and Jose Valentin had traded early homers. In the eighth though, Clayton singled and stole second, and Eric Young scratched a single off Radinsky, and it turned out to be the game winner. Good relief by Trombley and Stanton closed down the Storm.

Generals  000  100  010  2 8 1
Storm      010  000  000  1 7 0
SAV - Kile (W, 1-0), Gunderson (8), Trombley (8), Stanton (9)(S, 1); HAN - Smoltz (L, 0-1), Radinsky (8); HR - Valentin (HAN)(1), Bagwell (SAV) (1)

Game 3 at Savannah
Glavine (11-10) vs L. Hernandez (8-4)

Once again silent bats into the late innings, and a 1-1 game. Livan tired in the 7th, giving up a homer to Mo and two singles, but Jim Corsi came on in to get Valentin and Glavine. Notably, back in the 4th inning, Larry Walker had been hit by a pitch and was out for the series. But in the eighth, his replacement Vladimir Guerrero, greeted reliever Doug Jones with a single, and Bagwell followed with a three run homer, and that was it, Savannah up 3 games to none.

Storm      000  000  100  1 7 0
Generals  000  100  03x  4 7 0
HAN - Glavine (L, 0-1), Jones (8); SAV - L. Hernandez, Corsi (7), M. Rivera (8) (W, 1-0), Trombley (9) (S, 1); HR - M.Vaughn (HAN)(1), Bagwell (SAV)(2)

Game 4 at Savannah
Maddux vs Neagle (16-9)

Finally the bats come alive. Maddux, pitching on three days rest, was rocked for four in the first. But the Storm fight back. They score twice on consecutive homers in the 2nd, Chris Gomez scoots a 2 run single in the 4th, and Mo hits a 2 run homer in the 5th. 6-5 Hana. But Maddux is not sharp. Matt Williams hits a three run shot in the sixth, and the Generals bullpen by committee finishes up the game 9-7 and the series 4 games to 0.

Storm    020  220  100  7  9 1
Generals 401  031  00x  9 14 1
HAN - Maddux (L, 0-2), Bohanon (7), Jones (8); Neagle (W, 1-0), Corsi (7), Rivera (8), Heredia (8), Trombley (9)(S, 2) HR-Vaughn(2), Servais(1), Davis(1), Alomar(1), Williams(1)

MVP - Kevin Brown

The late season trade for Roger pays some immediate dividends, holding the Hurricanes off until the 6th inning and contributing an RBI double for a 2-0 lead. In the home 6th, Jeff Cirillo's RBI single narrows the lead to 1, but the Pilots get the run back on a thowing error by Burnitz. Clemens yields to Orosco after a leadoff walk in the eighth, and a single and ground out make it 3-2. But Trevor Hoffman strikes out the side for the Pilots in the 9th for the save.  

Pilots          000 200 100 3 9 0
Hurricanes  000 001 010 2 7 1
BEL - Clemens (W, 1-0), Orosco (8), Hoffman (9)(S,1); CAR - Schilling, Boehringer (7), Karchner (8), Spoljaric (9); HR - none

Game 2 - Bellingham at Carolina
Johnson (16-9) vs Hentgen (11-13)

Greatest pitchers duel in IIBL playoff history, as the pitchers go 0-0 through 9, through 10, through 11. Pilots rack up 18 strikeouts from Randy and his successors. No extra base hits, no errors. Only a few hits for each side. But in the twelfth, a Bob Patterson balk scores Griffey from 3rd. What a way to lose a game. Series even, and on to Bellingham.

Pilots          000 000 000 000   0 6 0
Hurricanes  000 000 000 001   1 6 0
BEL - Johnson, Orosco (8), Hoffman (10), Vosberg (11)(L,0-1), Patterson (12); CAR - Hentgen, S.Reed (9), J.Franco (10), Boehringer (12)(W, 1-0) HR - none

Game 3 - Carolina at Bellingham
Andy Benes (14-7) vs Moyer (10-9)

Not a great game, as the Hurricanes get to Moyer for 4 solo home runs by the fourth. Benes is super sharp. 9 innings, 3 hits, 12 strikeouts. Buhner's home run spoils the shutout. Easy 8-1 win for the Hurricanes on the road at Bellingham.

Game 4 - Carolina at Bellingham
Haynes (5-2) vs Clemens

Roger comes back on three days rest to try to square the series for the Pilots. All is going well through 7, as Bernie Williams' RBI double in the first is the only blood. However, Alex Gonzalez gets his 3rd single to lead off the 8th, and Juan Samuel gets a pinch hit 2RHR, Erstad then singles, and he scores before the inning is out. But again, the Pilots have packed up the bats, managing only an unearned run. Alex Gonzalez capped a 4-4 day with an insurance homer in the 9th. Pilots digging a 3-1 hole in the series.

Hurricanes  000 000 031  4 10 2
Pilots          100 000 010  2  6 0
CAR - Haynes, Candiotti (6)(W, 1-0), Franco (8), Powell (8), S.Reed (9)(S, 1); BEL - Clemens (L, 1-1), Hall (8), Vosberg (8), Rodriguez (8), A.Fernandez (9); HR - Samuel (1), A. Gonzalez (2)

Game 5 - Carolina at Bellingham
Schilling vs Johnson

Griffey tags the Unit for a 2 run homer in the first, That's trouble for the Pilots, who only scored 6 runs in the first 4 games of the series. And then Leyritz singled in another in the 4th. But the Pilots erupted, I mean erupted, in the 5th for two whole runs, their first two run rally in the whole series. A dropped fly ball by Greer helped. But that took it out of them. 2 singles and 7 Ks for the Hurricane pitchers over the last four innings, and the series is over, 4 games to 1. Pilots post a .176 average for the series, with a .212 slugging percentage.

Hurricanes 200 100 000 3 9 1
Pilots         000 020 000 2 6 0
CAR - Schilling (W, 1-1), Spoljaric (8)(S, 1); BEL - Johnson (L, 0-1), Orosco (7), Hall (8), Hoffman (9) HR - Griffey