https://twitter.com/okc_dodgers/status/775177260445765633
By Jon Weisman
O’Koyea Dickson’s three-run homer in the top of the eighth inning lifted Oklahoma City to a 10-9 victory over Nashville in the winner-take-all finale of their best-of-five playoff series, sending the Dodgers’ Triple-A team to the Pacific Coast League Championship.
Oklahoma City will face El Paso in a best-of-five series beginning Tuesday, after Dickson followed a single by Micah Johnson (3 for 5) and a walk to Cody Bellinger (two walks, sacrifice fly) with his third homer of the five games. OKC had allowed four runs in the bottom of the sixth to fall behind, 9-7.
The team’s seventh pitcher, Jacob Rhame, pitched two shutout innings of relief to save the game for Joe Broussard, who struck out two with the bases loaded to prevent further damage in the sixth. Broussard divided most of his regular season between Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Tulsa.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Nasvhille loaded the bases on a single, double and intentional walk, but Rhame retired the next two batters, both on foul outs.
#Loons take a 1-0 series lead in the #MWL Eastern Division Championship!#DiveIn #LoonsBaseball pic.twitter.com/ab5gXwKY65
— Great Lakes Loons (@greatlakesloons) September 12, 2016
Midwest League: Great Lakes 4, West Michigan 1
Caleb Ferguson (five innings, one run, six strikeouts), Ivan Vietez (three innings, three strikeouts) and Shea Spitzbarth (one inning, three strikeouts) combined to whiff 12 for the Loons, who won the opener of their best-of-three Midwest League semifinal.
Saige Jenco broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the seventh with a two-run single, and Brendon Davis followed with another RBI single for insurance. Logan Landon and Jake Henson each went 2 for 4 for Great Lakes, who can advance to the finals with a win Monday.
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Pioneer League: Orem 8, Ogden 7 (11)
Despite leading 6-5 in the ninth and 7-6 in the 11th, the Rookie League Raptors suffered a crushing defeat that ended their best-of-three semifinal series and eliminated them from the postseason. The final two runs by Orem were unearned.
Second baseman Moises Perez, batting ninth, singled, doubled and hit two home runs for Ogden, the latter homer a solo shot that gave the Raptors their 11th-inning lead. Perez is a 19-year-old, signed three years ago by the Dodgers out of Venezuela on his 16th birthday, who hit five homers in 50 games during the regular season.
Jack Chmielewski
The Dodgers future looks bright and despite the drain on the farm with the trades and promotions, they are still in a position to win MiLB championships. Great job by the front office to get us to this point.