The Arkansas Travelers came one victory shy of clinching a playoff spot at home.
They didn't waste any time doing getting it done in their final road trip of the season.
Tyler DeLoach retired the first 15 batters and pitched six shutout innings, and the Travs scored four runs in the eighth inning to beat the Springfield Cardinals 5-4 on Tuesday night at Hammons Field in Springfield, Mo.
The victory clinched the Texas League North Division second-half title for the Travs and put them in the playoffs for the third time in the past four seasons.
Arkansas has six regular-season games remaining before playing the first two games of a first-round playoff series at Tulsa, starting Sept. 3. Game 3 of the best-of-5 series will be Sept. 5 at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
On Tuesday, the Travs had to fight back after DeLoach turned in the best of his five starts with the Travs.
The 23-year-old was perfect through five innings before Charlie Tilson reached on a bunt single to lead off the sixth with the Travs leading 1-0. DeLoach (4-0) gave up a two-out walk to Jonathan Rodriguez in the seventh, and David Popkins hit a two-run home run to make it 2-1 in the seventh.
But Arkansas' Eric Stamets led off the eighth inning with an infield single and Maikol Gonzalez reached on an error before Alex Yarbrough advanced them with a bunt. Mike Bianucci gave the lead back to the Travs with a two-run double to left field. Zach Zaneski followed with an RBI single, and Drew Heid drew a bases loaded walk to make it 5-2.
The Cardinals won six in a row earlier this month to stay in contention but dropped their fourth consecutive game Tuesday. They cut into the lead again when Tilson singled and scored in the eighth and Rodriguez hit a home run in the ninth. But with the tying run on third and the winning run on first, Jairo Diaz retired Travis Tartamella on a fly out to end the game and set off a subdued celebration on the field.
The Travs have won three games in a row, six of their past seven, and at 72-62 are two victories shy of setting a club record for most victories in a season since they became an affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels in 2001.
Sports on 08/27/2014