Once more, rain was a factor as West Division action in Fargo was pushed back an hour, but we were treated to two nail-biters to start off the best-of-five Division Series on each side.
Kane County 4, Milwaukee 3 (10 innings)
Early on, Kane County was sitting pretty—they led 3-0 after two innings against Pitcher of the Year Jhordany Mezquita, but the Cougars had to work awfully hard from that point forward to take the first game of the East Division Series.
Playing in his final postseason, Josh Allen singled home a run in the first, then came around himself later in a two-run frame. One inning later, Armond Upshaw doubled home a run for the three-run cushion, then both pitchers locked in.
Mezquita gave up nothing more over his 5.0 innings, while Kane County ace Konnor Ash was dialed in over his 6.0 innings of work, striking out six and allowing just one run; a solo home run by Charlie Marion in the fifth.
After he departed, the Milkmen pulled within one on a Chase Waddell RBI single in the seventh. Down to their final out against Reliever of the Year Jake Gozzo in the ninth, three straight singles tied the game, as Yordys Valdes hit knotted the game up. Alec Olund made a diving catch with the winning run on second to end the bottom of the ninth and the game went to extra innings.
The Cougars didn’t score in the final seven innings of regulation, but they did come through in the first extra frame, as Alex McGarry stroked a two-out RBI single through the right side to bring Allen home with the winning run.
Kansas City 6, Fargo-Moorhead 4
All signs seemed to point to a fully-rested Kyle Crigger starting for Fargo-Moorhead, only for Patrick Wicklander to unexpectedly get the ball. After a one-hour pregame rain delay, Kansas City appeared to make the RedHawks pay for that decision by greeting Wicklander with three first-inning doubles, with Luken Baker and Saul Garza driving in a run apiece.
Two innings later, Tyler Gentry led off with a triple and came home on a sacrifice fly to give the Monarchs a 3-0 lead.
KC starter Thaddeus Ward shut down the RedHawks for the first five frames, but departed after the first three reached in the sixth. Following a pitching change, Dillon Thomas turned the game on its head with a grand slam that all the sudden pulled Fargo-Moorhead in front, 4-3.
The Monarchs battled back, pushing the tying run across on a groundout in the seventh, then taking the lead on a 435-foot bomb from Baker with one out in the eighth. Gentry added insurance with a two-out RBI knock in the ninth.
The RedHawks threatened in the ninth with two leadoff walks, but Monarchs closer Durbin Feltman retired Jose Sermo, then struck out Tripp Clark and Thomas to lift KC to a Game 1 win.
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