Gm 71: Walk-off win keeps C's post-season alive for another day

Nat Bailey Stadium - Vancouver, B.C. - Ryan Sloniger's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth snapped a 7-7 tie and helped the Canadians keep its slim post-season hopes alive on Wednesday night in front of 6,413 sun soaked fans. Vancouver (15-18) sent Adam Kloffenstein to the mound and the now 19-year old right-hander continued his strong season going six innings of five hit baseball allowing just two earned runs while striking out eight in his final regular season start of the summer.
McGregory Contreras hit his third home run of the summer off Tri-City starter Ethan Elliott in the bottom of the second inning. Contreras would collect three RBI in the Vancouver victory. Jesus Lopez (2-for-4) and Brett Wright (2-for-4) also had multi-hit games.  
Kloffenstein ran into a modest amount of trouble in the top of the fifth allowing a pair of runs that gave the Dust Devils its first lead of the night. They would plate one more in the sixth inning off Kloffenstein before his night ended striking out Jonny Homza, his eighth strikeout and sixty-fourth of the summer.
Gage Burland would run into trouble in the top of the seventh inning allowing a pair of earned runs in just 1/3 inning of work. Nicolas Medina came in to snuff out the flames walking a batter and striking out one over his 2/3 innings. Luke Gillingham allowed a two-run home run to Mason House that broke a 5-5 tie heading toward the bottom of the eighth inning.
After bringing the game to within a run in the home half of the eighth inning, Vancouver capped off the dramatic comeback as Ryan Sloniger hit a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning that scored Will Robertson to give the Canadians the 8-7 victory, the C's 30th of the season.
The Vancouver victory over Tri-City combined with Spokane topping Everett allowed the Canadians to keep its slim post-season hopes alive. The Canadians are hoping that Spokane can win the North Division claiming both regular season pennants. Should they accomplish that feat, the other three teams in the North will fight through the thirty-eighth and final game to see which of the three remaining teams has the best second-half record.  
Heading into Thursday's game at 7:05pm, the Canadians are one game back of Everett and three games back of Tri-City with five remaining. Vancouver's only hope is to have the Indians (Spokane) win the North Division and leap over Everett and Tri-City respectively to finish on September 2nd with the best second half record of the above mentioned teams.
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