PCL1 Oklahoma City Comets

Oklahoma RedHawks Game Notes

Published on September 6, 2008 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


American Conference Championship Series

Iowa leads 2-1

Playoff Game 4 | September 6, 2008 | AT&T Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, OK

Radio: Fox Sports Radio AM 1340, RedHawks Radio Network | Jim Byers & Adam Marco

TODAY'S MATCHUP

LH Jason Stanford (3-1, 5.06) vs. LH Michael Ballard (3-3, 6.81)

Stanford: Surrendered 8 R on 12 H over 5.1 IP with 3 K in 9/01 Loss vs. OMA (13-8 OMA)

Ballard: Allowed 1 R on 2 H over 5.0 IP with 4 K & 0 BB in 9/01 ND @ MEM (4-1 MEM)

LAST NIGHT: Oklahoma fell 2-1 to Iowa on Friday night in game three of the American Conference Championship Series. The Cubs took a 2-1 series lead with the win. Former RedHawk Andres Torres scored both runs for Iowa, and was brought home each time by Bobby Scales. Brian Gordon pitched well but took the loss, while Mitch Atkins earned the win.

WITH A WIN: An Oklahoma victory tonight will even the series at two wins each and set up game five on Sunday. The RedHawks and Cubs would meet at 2:05 pm Sunday afternoon with the winner heading to the Pacific Coast League's championship round.

AMERICAN SOUTH CHAMPIONS:

The RedHawks clinched the American South division title on August 23. Oklahoma has been in or tied for first since April 7 in the division, and was the first club to clinch its division in the Pacific Coast League this season. This title is the fifth in RedHawks history (1999, 2002, 2004, & 2005) and the tenth in Oklahoma City Triple-A history (including seven in the PCL and three in the American Association).

AND SO WE MEET AGAIN:

Oklahoma and Iowa also met in 2004 in the 2004 American Conference Championship Series. The Cubs won the series 3-2. Iowa won game one 2-1 in Des Moines, while Oklahoma took game two by a 4-2 final. The series shifted to AT&T Bricktown Ballpark and the RedHawks won game three 10-4 to take a two games to one lead. The I-Cubs evened the set with a 5-2 win and won the series with a 6-2 game five victory. Iowa was then swept by Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League Finals.

SCOUTING IOWA:

The I-Cubs finished with the Pacific Coast League's best overall record, notching 83 wins and a .585 winning percentage. Iowa matched Salt Lake and Sacramento with 83 victories, but played and lost fewer games than both clubs. The Cubs hit .294 this season and held 4.51 team ERA, ranking third and fourth in the PCL, respectively. Iowa had the league's best home record at 48-24 and hit .295 at Principal Park with a 3.96 staff earned run average. The I-Cubs went 35-35 on the road, hit .293, and held a team ERA of 5.10.

SEASON SERIES:

Iowa took the 16 game season series with Oklahoma 9-7. The Cubs outscored the RedHawks 91-83 and averaged 7.333 runs per game in each of their wins. The RedHawks managed to score an average of 7.29 runs in each of their wins. Iowa batted .311 over the course of the year against Oklahoma, while RedHawk batters hit at a .256 clip. Oklahoma held a staff ERA of 5.34 against Iowa, including a 3.71 earned run average at Principal Park.

BALLARD TAKES THE BUMP:

Oklahoma will pitch southpaw Michael Ballard tonight against Iowa. The 24-year-old was promoted from Frisco during the All-Star Break, made eight starts for the RedHawks, and was named the PCL Pitcher of the Week for the final seven days of the regular season. Ballard did not face the I-Cubs during regular season.

DOT-DOT-DOT:

Tickets for the Express Employment Services Bricktown Showdown on September 16 are on sale at the ballpark, by calling 405-218-1000, and on the internet at www.oklahomaredhawks.com... Oklahoma played its best baseball on Saturdays during the regular season. The RedHawks went 17-6 on Saturdays during the season, five more wins than they earned on any other day of the week... Oklahoma fell 5-2 on August 21 to tonight's Iowa starter Jason Stanford. The southpaw allowed two runs over five innings and struck out five.

ON THE AIR:

Every game this season can be heard on the RedHawks Radio Network, led by broadcaster Jim Byers for the ninth season, and joined by Adam Marco during each homestand. Fox Sports Radio AM 1340 in Oklahoma City will serve as the flagship station in 2008. The network affiliates this season are KSIW 1450 AM in Woodward, KXCA 1380 AM in Lawton, KPNS 1350 AM in Duncan, KTJS 1420 AM in Hobart, KGFF 1450 AM in Shawnee, and KWSH 1260 AM in Wewoka. Each game will also be broadcast on the internet through the audio link at www.oklahomaredhawks.com.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from September 6, 2008


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