1997 IIBL Conference Playoffs
Savannah vs Dresden; Carolina vs Rosehaven
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Savannah vs Dresden Carolina vs Rosehaven

Game 1 - Savannah at Dresden

Kevin Brown (22-8, 1-0 playoffs) vs Kevin Appier (16-7)

Generals get to Appier for 4 in the 4th. Appier intentionally walks Larry Walker, Sandy Alomar is hit by a pitch, Ryan Klesko follows with a 2 run single and Royce Clayton finishes with a two run double. Brown has a 1 hitter until the 7th, when the Blacks load the bases on two walks and a hit, and Turner Ward pinch singles home two. Savannah loses the lead in the 8th. Craig Biggio singles and steals second. One out later Mark McGwire is walked (7 IW in the series). A walk, sac fly, and RBI single by Nomar Garciaparra tie it. But Craig Counsell singles off Rincon in the 9th, and the Generals draw first blood, 7-5.

             123 456 789  R  H  E
Generals 000 401 002  7 11  0
Blacks     000 010 220  5  5  1

SAV - Brown, Heredia (7)(H, 1), Rivera (8)(H, 1), Trombley (8)(W, 1-0)(BS, 1), Stanton (9)(S, 1) 

DRE - Appier, Oquist (6), DiPoto (8)(L, 0-1), Rincon (9), Hernandez (9), Wallace (9).
HR- SAV Walker (1)

Game 2 - Savannah at Dresden
Darryl Kile (15-11, 1-0 playoffs) vs Brad Radke (21-5)

Radke was not sharp, giving up three HRs. But the Blacks scored early and often against Kile. Charles Johnson's 3RHR was the key hit in a 5 run Dresden second. When the Generals pulled within 6-4, Matt Stairs bopped a three run shot (after another McGwire IW). Radke finally gave out in the eighth, and Alomar greeted Billy Wagner with an RBI single to make it 10-6. Kevin Millwood then came in to face pinchhitter Matt Williams, who managed a run scoring FC, but Millwood retired the last 4 batters.

             123 456 789  R  H  E
Generals 100 030 120  7  9  0
Blacks     051 013 00x 10 14  0

SAV - Kile (L, 0-1), Corsi (4), Trombley (7), Gunderson (8)  DRE - Radke (W, 1-0), Wagner (8), (H,1), Millwood (8)(S, 1). HR- SAV: Magadan(1), Walker(2), Klesko (1) DRE: Stairs(1), Johnson(1)

Game 3 - Dresden at Savannah
Jose Rosado (17-4) vs Livan Hernandez (8-4, 0-0 playoffs)

Livan sharper, as the Blacks manage only 3 hits through 6. Rosado helped out by Johnson nailing a couple baserunners at second, but three singles in the sixth put the Generals up 2-1. Livan then developed a strain and couldn't continue. Felix Heredia gave up singles to put runners at the corners with one out in the 7th. Lofton's ground ball is booted by Eric Young, tying the game at 2. Biggio walks to load them up, and Ward delivers a sac fly off Trombley. Charles Johnson triples in the eighth and scores on a pinch single by Dale Sveum, and Billy Wagner gets the save.

              123 456 789  R  H  E
Blacks     100 000 210  4  8  0

Generals  000 101 000  2 10  1
DRE - Rosado (W, 1-0), DiPoto (7)(H, 1), Wallace (8)(H, 1), Millwood (8)(H, 1), Wagner (8)(S, 1)

SAV - Hernandez, Heredia (7)(BS, 1)(L, 0-1), Trombley (7), Rivera (8), Gunderson (9)
HR- none

Game 4 - Dresden at Savannah
Todd Stottlemyre (14-6) vs Denny Neagle (16-9, 1-0)

Blacks take a 6-2 lead in the 4th featuring back to back homers by Stairs and Nomar. But Rincon relieves for Stott in the 7th and gives up homers to Matt Williams and Chili Davis and all of a sudden the game is tied at 6. In the 10th, Stairs gets a one out homer off Stanton, and Turner Ward later adds a 2 run shot, as the Blacks prevail 9-6, and take a 3-1 lead.

               123 456 789 0 R  H  E
Blacks      101 400 000 3 9 13  0

Generals  200 010 300 0 6 12  0
DRE - Stottlemyre, Rincon (7)(BS, 1), Hernandez (8)(W, 1-0), Wagner (10)(H, 2), DiPoto (10)(S, 1)

SAV - Neagle, Rivera (7), Stanton (9)(L, 0-1)
HR- DRE: Lofton(1), Stairs 2(3), Garciap'ra(1), Ward(1), SAV: Davis(1), Williams(1).

Game 5 - Dresden at Savannah
Kevin Appier vs Kevin Brown

Brown scatters 4 hits over 6 2/3, but Appier is sharp as well. A Chili Davis homer extends the lead to 2-0 in the 6th, before the Blacks get one back. But Wagner, called upon for the third straight day, delivers another homer to Chili, a 3 run shot, and Savannah wins 6-1 and avoids the sweep at home.

             123 456 789  R  H  E
Blacks     000 000 100  1  4  0

Generals  010 001 31x  6 13  0
DRE - Appier (L, 0-1), Wagner (7), Oquist (8) SAV - Brown (W, 1-0), Gunderson (7)(H, 1), Trombley (9)
HR- SAV: Davis 2(3), Klesko(2).

Game 6 - Savannah at Dresden
Darryl Kile vs Brad Radke

Radke again fell victim to the homer, allowing 3 more. Klesko's 2RHR in the 6th erased a Dresden 4-2 lead, and Clayton followed with another. But the Blacks got it back quickly, when Stairs doubled home Lofton. McGwire, who had been walked, was out at the plate on the play. In the seventh, Chili dropped Charles Johnson's fly in right, allowing Nomar to go to 2nd with one out. Trombley got Ward to fly to center, but Walker made an ill advised throw to third which got away allowing Nomar to score. Lofton and Biggio followed with hits to make it 7-5. That's the way it ended, although Savannah had their chances in the last two innings. Dresden goes forward.

              123 456 789  R  H  E
Generals 100 013 000  5  7  3
Blacks     110 021 20x  7 11  1

SAV - Kile (L, 0-2), Trombley (7), Stanton (8)
DRE - Radke, Wallace (7), Millwood (7), (W,1-0), Rincon (H, 1), DiPoto (H, 2), Hernandez (9)(S, 1)
HR- SAV: Walker(3), Klesko(3), Clayton(1)

SERIES MVP - Nomar Garciaparra (.435, 7 runs, 6 RBI)
SERIES Goat - Jeff Bagwell (2-24)
Other notables, McGwire (3-18, 2B, 9 walks, 7 int.); Stairs (.333, 3 HR, 9 RBI); Larry Walker (12-24,  1.083 SPC); Klesko  (9-17, 3 HR)


Game 1 - Carolina at Rosehaven

Pat Hentgen (11-13, 0-0 playoffs) vs Ismael Valdes (15-8)

Hurricanes get to Ismael early, with #2 hitter Cirillo cracking a 2RHR and Macfarlane adding a run scoring single later in the 1st. River Dogs never really threaten in the game, falling behind 5-1in the middle innings, and finally going down meekly, on 6 hits, 7-2.

                123 456 789  R  H  E
Hurricanes 300 110 011  7 13  1
River Dogs 001 000 010  2  6  1
RIO - Hentgen (W, 1-0), Powell (9); RRD - Valdes (L, 0-1), Brocail (6), Martin (8), Ayala (9); HR-Cirillo(1), Palmeiro(1)

Game 2 - Carolina at Rosehaven
Andy Benes (14-7, 1-0) vs Chan Ho Park (16-3)

It's been a while since the River Dogs were down in a divisional championship, so they needed this one to even the series before going to Carolina. And even it they did. Mike Piazza hit a 3RHR in the first inning, and the River Dogs added 3 more before the inning was over. Tom Candiotti came in for the Hurricanes and pitched the rest of the way. But it was strictly "taking one for the team" as he gave up 14 more earned runs, walked 10, and threw 156 pitches. Derek Jeter hit a grand slam, and the River Dogs emptied their bench.

                 123 456 789  R  H  E
Hurricanes 000 000 000  0  5  0
River Dogs 601 270 22x 20 16  0
RIO - Benes (L, 0-1), Spoljaric (1), Candiotti (2); RRD - Park (W, 1-0), Timlin (8), Mesa (9); HR-Piazza(1), Edmonds(1), Jeter(1).

Game 3 - Rosehaven at Carolina
David Cone (14-9) vs Curt Schilling (18-8, 1-1)

River Dogs rally for three runs in the 7th off Schilling, who had allowed only two hits to that point. After Piazza's one out two run homer, Edmonds singled and moved to second when Rolen drew a walk. Jeter then flew to right, but Burnitz threw wildly to try and get Edmonds at 3rd, and the winning run crossed. Carolina went 9 up 9 down after that.

                    123 456 789 R  H  E
River Dogs    000 100 300 4  5  2
Hurricanes     010 020 000 3  6  1
RRD - Cone (W, 1-0), Osuna (8), Myers (9)(S, 1); RIO - Schilling (L, 0-1), Reed (8) HR- RRD Palmeiro(2), Piazza(2), RIO Greer (1)

Game 4 - Rosehaven at Carolina
Alan Benes (12-6) vs Jimmy Haynes (5-2, 0-0)

Haynes had pitched well in the second half of the season, and continued in the playoffs, scattering 3 hits over 6 1/3 innings. Alan Benes pitched better than his brother in game two, but gave up a leadoff triple to Erstad in the first, who then scored on a groundout. Even one run was too much, as the River Dogs only managed one runner past first base all day. Series tied at 2.

                 123 456 789 R  H  E
River Dogs  000 000 000 0  5  0
Hurricanes  100 000 01x 2  5  0
RRD - Benes (L, 0-1), Timlin (8); RIO - Haynes (W, 1-0), Powell (7), Boehringer (8), Reed (9)(S, 1)

Game 5 - Rosehaven at Carolina
Ismael Valdes vs Pat Hentgen

Rematch of pitchers from game one, but Valdes was much, much sharper. In the third, Jeter tripled in Rolen, who had walked, but was out trying for an inside-the-park-home run. Still, that was all Valdes needed, allowing only one hit until two were out in the 9th, when Myers whiffed the struggling Griffey for the save.

                   123 456 789  R H E
River Dogs    001 010 000  2 3 0
Hurricanes    000 000 000  0 2 2
RRD - Valdes (W, 1-1), Myers (9)(S, 2) RIO - Hentgen (L, 1-1), Spoljaric (9), Powell (9), Franco (9), Reed (9)

Game 6- Carolina at Rosehaven
Curt Schilling vs Chan Ho Park

Down 3-2, Carolina goes to Schilling on 3 days rest. He pitched well, scattering 7 hits over 5 innings, but left tied 1-1, when the Hurricanes went to pinchhitter Juan Samuel in the 6th with the bases loaded. He flied to center. Carolina loaded them in the seventh as well, on three walks, this time Leyritz pinch hits and strikes out. The game was in the hands of the Carolina bullpen. Powell and Spoljaric got through their two innings, but Boehringer gave up singles to Piazza and Rolen in the eighth, and a wild pitch brought home the second run. Mesa walked Greer with two outs in the ninth, but Myers came in to get Griffey (.053 for the series) yet again. Rosehaven goes through to their 5th straight world series appearance.

                 123 456 789 R  H  E
Hurricanes   000 010 000 1  7  0
River Dogs   000 010 01x 2  9  0
RIO - Schilling, Powell (6), Spoljaric (7), Boehringer (8)(L, 0-1), Karcher (8); RRD - Park, Timlin (8)(W,1-0), Mesa (9); Myers (9)(S, 3) HR-A. Gonzalez (1)

SERIES MVP - Chan Ho Park (1-0, 0.64, 14 IP, 15 K, 9 H, 5 W)
SERIES GOAT - Ken Griffey Jr. After going 3-19 in the Bellingham series, with 14 Ks, he followed up with a 1-19 performance against Rosehaven. Carolina management has firmly denied he will be put on the trading block for his post-season perfromance.