Squirrels dash Baysox playoff dreams

September 7, 2010; 10:53 AM • by John Murden

The Richmond Flying Squirrels ended the season on a high note, winning three straight against the Bowie Baysox (75-67) to take the last series of 2010. Playing for respect and to end well, the Squirrels took it a step further and eliminated the hated Baysox from the race for the last playoff spot with the wins on Sunday and Monday. The victories gave the Squirrels a 16-13 record against the Baysox for 2010 and left the Squirrels with a final record of 68-73.

The Squirrels also set a high mark on Sunday by pushing ahead of the Reading Phillies and claiming the Eastern League attendance crown. Monday’s turn-out of 6,569 guaranteed the Squirrels the game-average high of over 6,600 per game and gave the club a season total of over 460,000 paid visitors to the Diamond. In all of AA baseball (30 teams), only the Frisco Roughriders had a better attendance record. It should be noted that the former Richmond Braves now playing in Gwinnett, Georgia pulled over 120,000 fewer total fans, and almost 2,000 fewer per game.

With the Bowie loss (and their own victory today), the Harrisburg Senators nosed ahead to earn the right to face the Altoona Curve in the Western Division match-up. The two will play a best-of-five series starting on Wednesday, with the first 2 games at 6:30PM in Altoona, 2 in Harrisburg, and then a 5th in Altoona (if necessary). The Trenton Thunder claimed the Eastern Division win and will face the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in the playoffs. The series kicks off Wednesdat at Trenton at 7:05PM. The two winners will meet in the best-of-five Championship Series beginning on September 14th.

Eastern League FINAL

EAS Eastern
Club	W	L	PCT	GB	ELIM#	Home	Away	L10	Streak
Trenton	83	59	.585	–	–	47-24	36-35	6-4	W1
New Hampshire	79	62	.560	3.5	–	39-32	40-30	4-6	L4
Portland	70	71	.496	12.5	E	35-35	35-36	8-2	W5
Reading	69	72	.489	13.5	E	38-34	31-38	5-5	W1
Binghamton	66	76	.465	17.0	E	34-37	32-39	3-7	L2
New Britain	44	98	.310	39.0	E	23-48	21-50	5-5	L1

EAS Western
Club	W	L	PCT	GB	ELIM#	Home	Away	L10	Streak
Altoona	82	60	.577	–	–	41-30	41-30	4-6	L1
Harrisburg	77	65	.542	5.0	–	38-32	39-33	6-4	W2
Bowie	75	67	.528	7.0	E	40-31	35-36	5-5	L3
Akron	71	71	.500	11.0	E	37-34	34-37	3-7	W1
Richmond	68	73	.482	13.5	E	37-33	31-40	5-5	W3
Erie	66	76	.465	16.0	E	36-35	30-41	7-3	L1