Potatoes 3 at Highlanders 2 Potatoes 8 at Highlanders 3 Highlanders 12 at Potatoes 4 Highlanders 2 at Potatoes 3 Highlanders 1 at Potatoes 4 Potatoes win series 4 games to 1 |
Haliburton finished the 2001 campaign the 2nd best team in the league with 109 wins. Their reward for such a feat was avoiding the Gnats in round 1 of the playoffs but because of the format they had to play the wild card team Idaho Potatoes instead of the Corsairs. A cruel reward if there ever was one. The Potatoes made a late run for the playoffs and the division just falling short of the latter. Idaho was a feared playoff opponent by all teams, strong hitting combined with a solid bullpen, the Potatoes had all the ingredients of a World Series contender. The Highlanders were rated as the underdog going in to the National League Divisional Series as odds makers felt they had the offence but not the pitching to go all the way. The Highlanders would hope that veterans Darryl Kile and Al Lieter could make the difference in a short series. They were also hoping Bonds could shake his reputation as a playoff goat. Idaho had a batting lineup with 6 players who had 26 or more HR's in the GSBL regular season. But in the end it was the strength of the Idaho Bullpen and the depth of their bench which powered Idaho to the series win. Kile suffured 2 losses in the series for Haliburton despite pitching rather well. Bonds only managed 5 hits in the series although 2 were doubles and 2 were solo homers. But the strong Tater pen led by Kevin Foulke's 2 saves allowed Idaho to only outscore Haliburton 22-20, but take the series in five games. Click Here for the Next page of the Review |
