RailRiders sweep way into IL Finals

After riding its pitching staff to victories in the first two games of the International League semifinals, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre watched its offense do the job on Friday. 

Cito Culver slugged a three-run homer and Kyle Higashioka chipped in three hits and two RBIs as the RailRiders punched their ticket to the Governors' Cup Finals with an 11-3 victory over Lehigh Valley, completing a three-game sweep. 

For the third game in a row, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre got on the board first, scoring three runs in the opening inning, two of which scored on wild pitches by IronPigs starter Phil Klein (0-1). 

Jesmuel Valentin's RBI single in the top of the fourth trimmed the lead to 3-1, but Higashioka delivered an RBI double and Culver connected off Klein as the RailRiders answered with eight runs in the bottom of the inning. 

Valentin singled home two more runs in the sixth, but Giovanny Gallegos (1-0) pitched three scoreless frames and J.R. Graham finished off the IronPigs in the ninth. 

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre finished with the best record (91-52) in the International League and continued to roll in the semifinals. The RailRiders never trailed in the series, outscoring Lehigh Valley, 20-3, and holding the IronPigs to a .149 batting average over the three-game set.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, which hadn't won a playoff series since 2009, will take on the winner of the other semifinal between Columbus and Gwinnett for the Governors' Cup.

In other playoff action:

Braves 11, Clippers 1

Braves No. 16 prospect Chris Ellis retired his first 11 batters en route to seven scoreless innings and Mel Rojas Jr. finished a homer short of the cycle to leave Gwinnett one win from a showdown with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The series stays in Gwinnett for Game 4 on Saturday. "I've struggled since I've been up in Triple-A," Ellis said. "It felt good to pitch well and I was amped up. Now we need to take this momentum we've got now and come ready to play tomorrow." Box Score