Yuku free message boards

Link while active, text follows:

Power thrived under pressure
SAL championship series begins tonight at Augusta
By Mike Whiteford
Charleston Gazette Staff writer

In two crucial playoff games in Eastlake, Ohio, during the weekend, the Power seemingly took a liking to postseason pressure, apparently stimulated by the do-or-die predicament.

After losing the opening game of the best-of-three playoff series last week, the Power responded with exquisitely played victories on Friday and Saturday to defeat the Lake County Captains and earn a berth in the South Atlantic League's best-of-five championship series.

Having won the Northern Division title, the Power will face the Augusta GreenJackets, winners of the Southern Division, at 7:05 tonight and Tuesday in Augusta and, after a travel day on Wednesday, resume the series at Appalachian Power Park at 7:05 Thursday night and, if necessary, Friday and Saturday. (All times 6:05 Central).

If the Power plays as it did Friday and Saturday, manager Jeff Isom will be more than pleased.

"It was a great team performance by everybody,'' he said. "We got clutch hitting, played excellent defense and the pitching was outstanding. Our starting pitching went deep into games. They were just all-around great team wins.''

Helped by a five-run first inning on Friday, the Power won 10-0 and, after rallying for three runs to break a 1-1 tie in the eighth inning Saturday, collected a 4-1 victory in the decisive third game.

In the two games, the Power outhit the Captains 21-9 and did not commit an error.

"I like how we played up in Lake County,'' said Isom.

In the eighth inning Saturday, the Power began its title-winning rally with two out and no one on base. Following a two-out error and a walk, Zelous Wheeler delivered an RBI single for a 2-1 lead, and Curt Rindal followed by hitting an 0-2 pitch for a two-run double.

As he awaited the 0-2 pitch, Rindal made an educated guess.

"He was looking for a slider,'' said Isom, "and ended up getting it and hit a double in the gap.''

The two victories reflected the Power's excellent play in the season's second half, in which it compiled a 45-25 record after finishing 32-37 in the first half.

Whatever happens this week, the manager noted, the team has been successful.

"There's nothing to lose. We've had a great season,'' he said. "You can't take that away from us. You're not always judged by the playoffs; you're going to be judged by the regular season. The key is to go out there and have fun. There's no reason to play tight. We plan to do the same thing against Augusta.''

POWER POINTS: Shortly after Saturday night's game, the Power boarded the bus and made a 13-hour trip to Augusta, arriving at about noon Sunday. "We're going to be getting our sleep right now. It's well-needed at this point in the season,'' Isom said early Sunday afternoon. "It's tough to sleep on those buses.'' ... Augusta pitchers, performing in a pitcher-friendly park, clearly have been the league's best, compiling a 2.95 earned run average compared to the Power's 4.18, which ranked ninth in the 16-team league. Madison Bumgarner, Augusta's 19-year-old left-hander who was 15-3 with a 1.46 ERA, was voted the SAL's most outstanding pitcher. He had 164 strikeouts in 141 innings and allowed just 111 hits. The GreenJackets have not announced their pitching rotation for the series. R.J. Seidel (9-5, 4.51) will start for the Power tonight. ... Power hitters, performing in a hitter-friendly park, led the league with 747 runs and a .276 batting average. ... The GreenJackets, who were 47-22 in the second half, are a Giants affiliate.

Ugh - Bumgarner tonight.

Nothing particularly Power-related in the MiLB or local Augusta coverage of the game.