The Florence Freedom will face the River City Rascals in a one-game playoff on Tuesday as the Frontier League post-season kicks off.
The Freedom qualified for the playoffs for the third time in the past four seasons on Sunday when the Evansville Otters were knocked out of contention thats to their loss to the Rascals (56-40).
Florence (49-47) earned the #5 seed when Rockford lost to Joliet. River City is the #4 seed. The winner of Tuesday’s game in O’Fallon, Missouri will advance to a best-of-three series against either the Normal CornBelters or the Southern Illinois Miners.
The Freedom fell to the Miners (63-33) by a final score of 7-6 on Sunday in the regular season finale. It was a tight game as the Freedom took an early lead in the top of the first thanks to a Frazier Hall two-RBI double.
But Southern Illinois responded right away in the bottom of the first with a Jerrud Sabourin RBI single. Aaron Gates put the Miners up 4-2 in the third with a three-run home run. Freedom starter Cody Gray got a no-decision as he went three innings, giving up four runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out two.
Southern Illinois added to their lead in the sixth on a Toby DeMello RBI single.
Down 5-2, Florence tallied a run in the seventh thanks to a bases loaded walk from Austin Newell. But an error allowed the Miners to score a run in the bottom half of the frame to make the score 6-3 in favor of Southern Illinois.
The Freedom staged a dramatic rally in the eighth against Eric Green (9-3). Isaac Wenrich walked to start the frame. Josh Henderson followed with a single. Steve Carrillo singled home Wenrich and Daniel Fraga tripled home Henderson and Carrillo to tie the game at six.
But DeMello hit a solo home run off Ed Kohout (4-4) to put the Miners up for good.
But by that time the Otters had already lost and the Freedom were in the playoffs.
-Staff report
