D-Braves ready for Appy League Championship Series

Many Danville Braves players already have their cars packed, but there’s one bit of business remaining before they return home to their friends and families — winning a ring.

Appalachian League Manager of the Year Paul Runge leads the Danville Braves into their fifth Appalachian League Championship Series appearance in the last six years when the D-Braves take on the two-time defending champion Elizabethton Twins in Game 1 of the ALCS at 7 p.m. today in Elizabethton, Tenn. The East Division-champion D-Braves (47-21) are looking for their second Appy League title, their first since 2006, and take on a familiar foe in the West Division-champion Twins (45-23).

“They’re a good team. They don’t beat themselves,” said Danville outfielder Cory Harrilchak, an Appy League All-Star selection. “They play good defense and their pitching keeps them in the ballgame and they’ve got a couple of good hitters there, so we’re just going to have to play our best ball and I think if we do that it’s going to be a good series. I think we’re definitely the two best teams, so it should be a good last series.”

Elizabethton has appeared in the Appalachian League Championship Series seven times in the last nine years, winning the title in five of those seasons, including each of the past two years. The Twins and Braves have met in three of the last four Appy League title series.

“We’ve got to come out with intensity, we’ve got to come out playing the best, focused baseball that we can,” Danville first baseman and Appy League Player of the Year Riaan Spanjer-Furstenburg said. “Everybody is nervous and going to be wreck and there’s going to be a lot of people, a lot of things coming our way, but we’ve just got to come out, be focused, play to the best of our ability and we’ll see where it goes from there. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Game 1 is Danville’s fifth consecutive road game and the series turns around and continues the very next day, after a long bus trip back to Danville.

“It’ll be tough on our bodies,” Spanjer-Furstenburg said. “Hopefully with the experiences that we’ve had throughout the year, we can set aside the distractions, set aside the fatigue that’s kind of kicking in on everybody and just go out there and play our best baseball. If we do that we stand a chance to win. Hopefully we come out on top.”

Danville lefty Bretty Oberholtzer takes the mound against Elizabethton righty Tom Stuifbergen for Game 1 tonight and Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year Matt Crim is scheduled to get the nod against Elizabethton lefty Edgar Ibarra when the series shifts to Danville for Game 2 on Thursday. A Game 3, if necessary, will be played Friday night in Danville.

“It was pretty much us and Elizabethton at the top all year. Halfway through the year we pretty much kind of figured that we were going to be playing them,” Oberholtzer said. “We’ve got a good match up going. Me and Crim, Game 1 and 2, hopefully we can get it done at home in the first game. We went 2-3 against them both series (this year), so hopefully we can do the same thing this time. They’re a pretty good team, though. We’ll see how it plays out.”

REGULAR SEASON FINALE
Osman Marval and Kyle Rose each belted three hits to lead the Danville Braves to an 8-5 victory against the Kingsport Mets in the regular season finale for both teams Tuesday night in Kingsport, Tenn.

Riaan Spanjer-Furstenburg went 2-for-2 with an RBI and Robby Hefflinger doubled and drove in two runs for Danville (47-21), which travels to Elizabethton for Game 1 of the Appalachian League Championship Series today. Elizabethton closed the regular season with its second consecutive loss, and third in the last four games.

The D-Braves snapped a 4-4 tie against Kingsport with four runs in the seventh inning against Mets (30-35) relief pitcher Julio Bello, who absorbed the loss.

Eric Barrett picked up his first win of the season while hurling three innings in relief of D-Braves starter Dennis Accomando, who surrendered three runs on five hits in five innings on the mound. Casey Hodges struck out three in the ninth inning to earn his sixth save of the season.

D-BRAVES ADD THREE
The Danville Braves added three players from the Gulf Coast League Braves to their active roster — catcher Jace Whitmer, first baseman Alberto Odreman and outfielder Kyle Rose.

Whitmer started the year with the D-Braves before being transferred to the GCL on Aug. 17. With Danville, he hit .242 (23-95) with four doubles and five RBIs. He collected four hits against Elizabethton on July 16. In 10 games with the GCL Braves, Whitmer hit .156 (5-32) with a double, triple and two RBIs.

Odreman spent 2007 and 2008 in the Dominican Summer League before playing 2009 in the GCL. In 55 games, the first baseman was hitting .251 (49-195) with three doubles, a triple, a GCL-leading nine home runs and 29 RBIs.

Rose has spent the entire 2009 season in the Gulf Coast League since the Braves selected him in the eighth round of this year’s draft. He was hitting .282 (40-142) with four doubles, a triple and a homer with 10 RBIs in 47 games. Playing exclusively in center field, Rose also compiled a league-leading 26 stolen bases in 30 chances. He walked 20 times and had an on-base percentage of .391.

ON TAP
Danville LHP Brett Oberholtzer (6-2, 2.01 ERA) takes the mound against the Elizabethton Twins RHP Tom Stuifbergen (5-2, 3.28) for Game 1 of the Appalachian League Championship Series at 7 p.m. today in Elizabethton, Tenn. D-Braves play-by-play voice Nick Pierce will have the call from Elizabethton on WMNA 106.3 FM and on the station’s website, http://www.espninva.com.

Contact Jason Wolf at or (434) 791-7996.

Danville 8, Kingsport 5
Danville 102 100 400 -  8   13   1
Kingsport 101 011 100 -  5   8   4
W: Barrett (1-0, 7.36); L: Bello, J (1-2, 5.93); SV: Hodges (6)
HR: None.