Royals finish with a flourish; end season 81-63

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - The Omaha Royals completed their most successful season since 1999, defeating the Oklahoma City City Redhawks 9-1 in front of 4,848 fans at Bricktown Ballpark.

The Royals, who won 28 of their final 40 games, completing the season 81-63, just one game behind Iowa and Memphis in the American Conference North.

Royals starter Matt Herges (9-4), pitching in the last game of his 19-year professional career, worked six strong innings, allowing just one run, no walks and five strikeouts to earn the win.

The Royals pitching staff moved past Oklahoma City to take the team ERA title in the Pacific Coast League on the season's final day, finishing with a 4.01 ERA.

Down 1-0 in the fifth, the Royal took the lead without the aid of a hit as Redhawks reliever Zach Phillips (3-2) walked the bases loaded. Irving Falu tied the game with an RBI ground out and Marc Maddox hit a grounder that got by third baseman Chris Davis for an error that scored two runs, giving the Royals a 3-1 advantage.

The Royals offense put up six more unanswered runs over the next four innings to win for the third straight time in Oklahoma City. Five different O-Royals had a pair of hits in the 14-hit attack. Maddox had a double and a triple with two RBIs.

The Royals next game will be next season when they open on the road on April 7, 2011.