And...the lights go out on Augusta's playoff hopes.  The lowlight from today's minor leagues: (1) Augusta loses.  With an Asheville win, the Tourists have clinched the second half division title, and last year's SAL champions will not get a chance to repeat.  The highlights: (a) Ryan Cavan hits two more home runs tonight in Salem-Keizer's win; (b) Neal goes 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI, getting on base three times, in San Jose's win; (c) Kyle NIcholson has another one-run start over six innings to lower his California League ERA under 3; (d) Bobby Felmy goes 4-for-5, falling a triple short of the cycle.

Fresno Grizzlies (Triple-A): Reno 2, Fresno 1

RF Ben Copeland - 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B (18), 1 HR (7), 1 RBI, 1 SO, .281

2B Freddy Sanchez - 1-3, 1 BB, 1 SO, .333

3B Matt Downs - 2-4, .291

SP Ramon Ortiz- 8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.05 ERA, L (5-6)

Game Notes: Fresno looked like the big league team, collecting ten hits but just one run. Reno opened the scoring in the second inning, hitting three consecutive one-out singles and an error gave Reno two runs. Fresno answered in the top of the third with Copeland hitting a leadoff home run. The game would hold there as Ortiz settled down and gave up only three hits in the remaining six innings he pitched, but Fresno could not score either in the loss.

Team Notes: Copeland has multiple hits in seven of his last ten games, with four doubles and two home runs as well...Sanchez had his second rehab start, and for the second day went 1-for-3, but also added his first walk...Ortiz had his second complete game of the season. His first one was a shutout victory.

Connecticut Defenders (Double-A): Connecticut 12, Reading 6

RF Bobby Felmy - 4-5, 2 R, 1 2B (18), 1 HR (7), 1 RBI, 1 SO, .257

1B Brett Pill - 2-5, 2 R, 1 HR (18), 2 RBI, .297

2B Brock Bond - 2-5, 1 2B (20), 1 3B (5), 2 RBI, 1 SO, .331

3B Sharlon Schoop - 3-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, .239

CF Mike McBryde - 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR (5), 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO, .301

C Tyler LaTorre - 2-5, 3 R, 1 2B (9), 1 RBI, 1 SO, .266

SP Ben Snyder - 6.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR, 2.88 ERA, W (4-4)

RP Shane Kaufman - 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO, 3.54 ERA

RP Dan Griffin - 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1 HBP, 5.58 ERA

Game Notes: The Defenders were able to overcome some unusual shakiness from Snyder. Four of the first five batters in the top of the first got on base for Reading, the exception being a pop bunt out, and the last one being a three-run home run. Pill answered with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first, and Felmy's solo home run and McBryde's two-run home run in the second helped give Connecticut the 6-4 lead. Four more runs in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run single by LaTorre.

Team Notes: Felmy was batting 5-for-20 over his previous nine games before today's game, with just a home run for extra bases...Over his last three games, Pill is batting 7-for-14 with two doubles and two home runs...Bond had his first extra-base hits since mid-August. He has slugged .399 since the All-Star Break...McBryde's home run is his first since July...SNyder has allowed five earned runs or more in two of his last three starts. He has a 5.13 ERA starting, but a 2.04 ERA as a reliever...Griffin now has 84 strikeouts against 23 walks in 71 innings pitched.

San Jose Giants (A-Advanced): San Jose 3, Lake Elsinore 1

LF Thomas Neal - 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B (40), 2 RBI, .333, 1 HBP

DH Roger Kieschnick - 2-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO, .298

3B Ryan Lormand - 1-4, 1 2B (9), .229

SP Kyle NIcholson - 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 2.92 ERA

RP Trey Webb - 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 2.78 ERA, W (1-1)

RP Dan Turpen - 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1.25 ERA, S (7)

Game Notes: The Giants were nearly finally handcuffed by one of the South division teams. Lake Elsinore's Wynn Pelzer held the San Jose lineup scoreless for seven innings. That was enough for that long, as a two-out rally in the first inning gave the Storm a 1-0 lead. In the eighth, however, a pair of errors allowed Neal to double home two runs, and Kieschnick singled home a third for the Giants to pick up the win.

Team Notes: The Giants have won eight in a row against Southern Division teams...Neal hit just his fourth double since the start of August. In that span, he also has five home runs...Kieschnick had his first game where he got a hit, but not an extra-base hit, since August 18th. He's slugging .536 on the season...Nicholson has struck out 30 and walked 11 in 40 innings at San Jose...Webb has gone a bit wild, having now walked 15 batters in his last 15 innings, with eight strikeouts in that span...Turpen hasn't allowed an earned run since August 13th.

Augusta GreenJackets (A): Rome 5, Augusta 4

DH Andy D'Alessio - 2-4, 1 R, 2 2B (26), 2 RBI, 2 SO, .301

3B Charlie Culberson - 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B (15), 1 RBI, 1 SB (14), .242

1B Josh Mazzola - 2-4, 2 R, .279

LF Wendell Fairley - 1-3, .243

SP Orlando Yntema - 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, 6.41 ERA

RP Ryan Verdugo - 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 1.39 ERA

RP Edwin Quirarte - 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 4.42 ERA, L (6-4)

Game Notes: Augusta took the lead in the first with a D'Alessio RBI double scoring Mazzola to make it 1-0. That held until the fifth inning. Rome broke open for four runs on three singles, a double and an error. Augusta came back in the seventh on RBI doubles by D'Alessio and Culberson to tie the game up. In the ninth, a leadoff single got pushed to third on a bunt and a groundout, and a walkoff single gave Rome the win.

Team Notes: The loss ends Augusta's playoff chances. With Asheville's win, the GreenJackets are 3.5 games back with three games to play...D'Alessio's two doubles are his first extra-base hits since August 25th...Mazzola has four multi-hit games in his last seven games...Fairley is batting .265 since the All-Star Break...Yntema has made six stars in Augusta, and allowed less than four earned runs in just two of them.

Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (Short Season-A): Salem-Keizer 4, Eugene 3

SS Ryan Cavan - 2-3, 2 R, 2 HR (8), 2 RBI, .272

DH Drew Biery - 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 SO, .329

RF Ryan Lollis - 1-2, .303

SP Wilbur Bucardo - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR, 1 WP, 3.02 ERA, W (4-1)

RP David Quinowski - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR, 1.77 ERA, H (4)

RP Jose Casilla - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1.67 ERA, S (12)

Game Notes: The playoff-bound Volcanoes the lead in the first inning, with Biery hitting an RBI single to make it 1-0. They got their second run on a double-steal in the fourth. Cavan followed with a home run in the fifth, and a second one in the eighth, which was just enough insurance. The last home run gave the Volcanoes a 4-2 lead, and Eugene got a run in the top of the ninth to close the gap, but Salem-Keizer would hold in there.

Team Notes: Cavan has shown some power, with six home runs in his last ten games.  On the season, he's slugging .495...Biery has been batting just .242 over his last ten games...Lollis is 12-for-39 (.308) over his last ten games...Bucardo has allowed one earned run or less in six of his last eight starts...Quinowski allowed his first earned run since August 12th...Casilla has given up just nine walks in 27 innings this season, and his first in his last ten innings.