Bats go silent as the Whitecaps and Mud Hens are eliminated from the playoffs

Durham Bulls 3, Toledo Mud Hens 2 (box)

Matt Hall threw a pretty good game on Sunday, but couldn’t squelch a Bulls rally in the sixth that proved the difference as the Hens were eliminated from the Governor’s Cup three games to one. The bright spot for the offense was Daz Cameron, who collected a pair of hits, scored a run on Harold Castro’s fourth inning RBI single, and added a stolen base to his tally. The Hens had a rally brewing in the seventh down 3-1, when Pete Kozma singled and Christin Stewart was hit by a pitch. With one out, Chad Huffman singled home Kozma, but a Jason Krizan double-play ball ended the threat prematurely.

Cameron: 2-4, R, 2B, SO, SB

Kozma: 2-4, R, 2B

Hall (L): 5.1 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 H, BB, 5 SO

Bowling Green Hot Rods 3, West Michigan Whitecaps 1 (box)

Elvin Rodriguez got out to a rocky start on Sunday, but settled in to go six solid innings. Meanwhile, his offense hung him out to dry, and the Whitecaps were eliminated from the Midwest League playoffs. Rodriguez allowed two runs in the first, and one in the second, but settled in for four solid innings of work with six strikeouts. Dylan Stock kept the Hot Rods quiet in the seventh and eighth to give Caps’ hitters a chance at a comeback. The offense only got six baserunners on the day, with Chris Proctor’s RBI single to score Colby Bortles in the seventh inning the only run they scored.

Proctor: 2-3, RBI, 2B

Rivera: 1-4, 2B, 2 SO

Rodriguez (L): 6.0 IP, 3 ER,7 H, BB, 6 SO

Bowling Green Hot Rods 6, West Michigan Whitecaps 5 (box)

On Saturday, the Whitecaps dropped a hard fought Game 1 to the Hot Rods to open their semifinal clash. Chance Kirby put together a decent outing, and looked strong for four of his five innings. Unfortunately he mis-stepped in the third, allowing the Hot Rods to build a 3-0 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The Whitecaps’ offense took a good while to get going, but in the sixth, Brady Policelli launched a big fly to left with Wenceel Perez aboard. Will Vest pitched a clean sixth, but gave those runs right back in the seventh. The Caps’ responded with two more in the seventh to stay within striking distance, but a ninth inning rally sputtered when the Hot Rods intentionally walked Perez to load the bases, and Colby Bortles popped out to end the game.

Policelli: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR, 2 SO

Perez: 2-4, R, BB, SO

Kirby (L): 5.0 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 6 SO