CLINTON —
For the past two weeks, the Clinton LumberKings have been almost impossible to beat. They’d like nothing better than to stay hot for another two weeks.
Winners of 10 consecutive games and 17 of 18, the LumberKings begin play in the Midwest League playoffs tonight when they entertain Beloit in the Western Division semifinals. The teams square off at 6:30 p.m. at Ashford University Field. The best-of-three series then shifts to Beloit, Wis.
After struggling through the first half of the season, the LumberKings won the second-half title in the West, setting a franchise-record for wins with a 48-22 record. The Snappers had the second-best record in each half and are 77-63 overall. Clinton is 71-67.
Offensively, the two teams are evenly matched. The Snappers ranked fourth in the league with a .260 batting average, while the LumberKings were fifth at .259. Each team hit 102 home runs, and Beloit had a 140-123 edge in stolen bases.
Beloit’s offense is led by Miguel Sano, one of the top prospects in the Minnesota Twins’ organization. He hit .258 in the regular season and led the league with 28 home runs and 100 runs batted in. Teammate Eddie Rosario ranked eighth in the league with a .296 batting average and had 70 RBIs.
Clinton has one of the league’s hottest hitters in infielder Dan Paolini. Named the Midwest League Player of the Week on Tuesday, Paolini wound up with the sixth-best batting average (.299) in the league, was fourth with 18 homers and eighth with 73 RBIs. Teammate Jabari Blash added 15 home runs, and Jamal Austin stole 36 bases.
The Snappers’ pitching is led by 6-foot-8 left-hander Jason Wheeler (14-6, 3.45 ERA, 115 strikeouts), the league leader in wins. Corey Williams had 17 saves, ranking fourth in the league. As a team, Beloit ranked third in the league with a 3.53 ERA.
Clinton finished seventh with a 3.71 team ERA.
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