Andrews, Lumberkings Advance To Championship
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – South Bend now knows its opponent for the 2019 Midwest League baseball championship. And a local face is coming back to northern Indiana for a shot at a title.
The Clinton LumberKings are going back to the Midwest League Championship Series, punching their ticket with a 6-2 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Monday night at Perfect Game Field. The LumberKings win marks their third trip to the Championship Series over the last ten seasons.
Clinton, the Class A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, scored three runs in the top of the first, added a run in fifth and pulled away with two runs in the seventh.
Tippecanoe Valley graduate Tanner Andrews is one of the staff aces for the Lumberkings. Andrews pitched to a no decision in Sunday’s game two, striking out eight in six innings of work. For the season at Clinton, Andrews is 8-5 with a 3.52 earned run average in 22 appearances. He has struck out 110 batters and walked just 38 in 128 innings.
Game one of the best-of-five championship series begins Wednesday night in South Bend, a 7:05 p.m. first pitch. Neither team has issued its starters for the championship series as of 1 p.m. Tuesday. Game two is set for Thursday night in South Bend, and the final three games would be in Clinton this weekend.