Muckdogs capture division title

AUBURN – When Labor Day started, the Batavia Muckdogs knew a win would get the team in the playoffs, but they needed help from Mahoning Valley.

As the Muckdogs were taking care of business in Auburn, Mahoning Valley in Ohio took a 2-0 lead over West Virginia, the team tied with Batavia on top of the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division.

The first subdued celebration took place when the Muckdogs realized West Virginia lost, 2-0. A few minutes later, a fly ball harmlessly fell in the glove of Troy Johnston, Batavia had a 7-0 win over Auburn and won the division, the first title in nine years.

Batavia will host Lowell in a best-of-three playoff series beginning on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.

The pressure to win was off the offense on Monday thanks to the pitching of Edgar Martinez. The hard-throwng 22-year-old righty was signed by the Miami Marlins out of the Dominican Republic. He went a season-high six innings throwing shut out baseball giving up just two hits and one walk while striking out six.

When he left the game, Batavia had a 5-0 lead thanks to home runs from Nic Ready and Troy Johnston plus a triple from Dalvy Rosario.

Brock Love tossed a perfect seventh then Joey Steele shut down Auburn the eighth and got a strikeout then Evan Brabrand retired all three batters in a row in the ninth. Brabrand, the closer, has a 1.29 ERA this season.

J.D. Orr had a 2-RBI double for Batava, his ninth of the season while the home run was Ready’s 10th of the season and he has 47 RBI’s. Johnston’s HR was his third while Rosario hit his 15th double and Andres Sthormes had his second double. Albert Guaimaro continued his hot streak with a single.