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Sports

Rascals Head to Frontier League Championships

The Rascals now face Joliet in the best-of-five Frontier League Championship series beginning on Wednesday at T.R. Hughes Ballpark

MARION, IL. — River City outfielder Stephen Holdren is in another world.

Holdren drilled a go-ahead, two-run homer in the fifth inning on Sunday night to lead the Rascals to the Western Division championship.

Thanks in part to Holdren's blast, River City knocked off Southern Illinois 4-1 in Game 4 to win the best-of-five series three-games-to-one.

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The defending Frontier League champs advance to the championship series for the third year in a row—becoming the first team in league history to make three straight trips to the final series. The Rascals face Joliet in the best-of-five championship series beginning with Games 1 and 2 at on Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m.

Holdren dominated the West final with three home runs and eight RBI. He went 7-for-15 (.467) at the plate.

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The 28-year-old Holdren was 3-for-3 with a key home run in a 5-2 win in Game 3 on Saturday. Less than 24 hours later, he broke a 1-1 tie with a long drive in the fifth inning.

River City ace Josh Lowey allowed just one run on five hits in an impressive seven-inning stint. Relievers Dustin Umberger, Zach Robertson and Don Lisi held the hard-hitting Miners in check the rest of the way. Lowey was 2-0 in post-season play last summer in helping the Rascals to their first-ever championship.

Catcher Danny Sawyer tied the game for the Rascals on Sunday with a run-scoring triple in the fourth. An inning later, Holdren unloaded with a runner on third

Holdren had at least one hit in all four games of the series.

Doug Sanders scored twice for River City in Game 4. Joash Brodin added two hits.

The Rascals when the Miners exploded for six runs in the ninth inning. That loss appeared to fire up the team, which won three successive games to claim its third West crown in three years.

Zack Sterner will likely start Game 1 against Joliet, which swept a three-game series from Lake Erie in the East Final.

Tickets for all games in the championship series are on sale at the Rascals box office.

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