After a bye week, the Rangers started postseason play in the second round against the Xenia Scouts. Similar to last season, the team needed the full 3-game series to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

​

The first game took place at Oak Grove Park on Saturday, Sep. 23. The one-time Ranger Alex Schulke held his former team to 5 hits as the Scouts blanked the Rangers 5-0.  The Rangers had their chances however to tack on runs throughout. Inning-ending double plays killed scoring opportunities in the 2nd and 5th innings. Multiple runners were left stranded in the 3rd and 4th. A 2-0 deficit in the top of the seventh was exacerbated with a two-out error that subsequently resulted in three unearned runs. 

​

Jesse Jones was solid in the complete game effort, allowing 2 earned runs while striking out 9. But the Rangers fell 5-0 and blanked for the 2nd time this season.

​

-----------------------

Game 2 was a complete 180 as the bats broke out and the team busted out the walking sticks. With 14 hits and 13 walks, the Rangers took the important game two by a score of 27-6 as the Scouts threw in the towel with the Rangers batting in the top of the 5th.

​

The game started out as a competitive one as the Rangers battled against righty Josh Cvetkovich. Markus Neff drove home Rob Pederson with a run in the top of the first. A Kyle Moyer groundout in the second plated Cooper Nolte to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. The Scouts tied the game up in the bottom of the inning on a Cvetkovich RBI single and a Chopiak sac fly.

​

The Rangers put the offensive machine in motion in the third. Eric Becker led off with a hit-by-pitch. Rob Pederson doubled him home. After Jones singled, Neff had his second straight run-scoring hit. Jones scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-2. Kyle Moyer added a 2-run double, Mike Seebock had an RBI double, and Jones roped a 2-run double as well. When all the dust settled, the Rangers had built an 11-2 lead.

​

Scouts first baseman Jonathan Sherman had a 2-run single to chip away at the lead in the third. The Rangers then went on to score 8 runs in the fourth on just one hit, a two-run single by Pederson. The remainder of the runs came from walks, hit-by-pitches, sac fly, fielder's choice, and a steal of home.

​

But the Scouts didn't let up yet, trailing 19-4. Anthony Ragan had an RBI double in the bottom of the 4th and scored on an error to make it 19-6. The Rangers continued to pile on in the top of the 5th. Pederson had an RBI single. Neff had a 2-run double. Seebock laced an RBI single. Three other bases-loaded walks proved to be the backbreaker as the Scouts decided to end the game to force a deciding game three on Sunday.

​

Joe Becker was effective for the 4-inning complete game, allowing 5 hits, 3 earned runs and 4 strikeouts to pick up his team-record 12th postseason win.

​

-----------------

The decisive game three took place on Sunday at Gastineau Field where the Rangers had to prove to themselves that they could find the answer to Schulke's mound dominance.

​

Coach Gilmore handed the ball to Kenny Owens to be the Rangers' workhorse in the winner-take all game. Owens put the Scouts down in order in the first. The Rangers got hits from Mark Carpenter and Jesse Jones to start the bottom of the first and a double play ball erased any scoring threat. 

​

The Scouts got on the board first in the top of the 2nd as Zach Calvert singled home Lou Ryan for a 1-0 lead. Nick Gilmore singled with one out in the bottom of the frame. Cooper Nolte courtesy ran for Gilmore and stole second. Nolte then scampered all the way home on a wild pitch one batter later to tie the game.

​

The Rangers had a chance to take the lead in the third, but Jones was picked off third with one out. Owens worked out of a leadoff walk in the 4th to send the game to bottom of the inning.

​

Nolte smacked a 1-0 pitch over the left field fence to kickoff the 4th. Gilmore and Brandon Ward then singled, and Kyle Moyer bunted his way on to load the bases. Mike Seebock reached on a fielder's choice that drove in a run. Carpenter singled to re-load the bases. Jones then hit a sac fly to make it 4-1.

​

Both sides went out quietly in the 5th. Eric Becker relieved Owens in the top of the 6th. The Scouts got a run back after two walks and two hit-by-pitches. The Rangers added some insurance back in the bottom of the 6th as Pederson lined a 2-run double to centerfield to make it 6-2. Nolte followed with a run-scoring single as the team built a 7-2 advantage.

​

Becker looked to have an easy enough inning in the 7th after retiring the first two batters, but 4 walks in succession produced the third run of the game for the Scouts.

​

The Rangers added another run in the bottom of the 7th as Brandon Ward singled and later scored on a passed ball. However, the Scouts countered with another bases-loaded walk in the 8th off reliever Mike Seebock and a Ryan RBI single to make the score 8-5. Gilmore doubled with two outs in the bottom of the inning and Ward came through again with an RBI single as the Rangers went to the 9th with a 9-4 advantage.

​

Seebock slammed the door in the 9th with two flyouts and a groundout to send the Rangers to the semifinals against the Wild Boars.

​

​