The Clearwater Threshers clinched their first playoff berth since 1999 on Saturday night by sweeping a double header against the Lakeland Flying Tigers.  Andrew Carpenter threw six innings of one-hit baseball in the first game with his only hit allowed being a home run as the Threshers won the first game 11-1.  In the second game of the night Anthony Bastardo got his first start for the Threshers after being promoted from Lakewood.  Bastardo gave up four runs on five hits with 12 ks and three walks in the game.

Word came down in the top of the fifth inning of the second game that both Dunedin and Tampa had lost their games, so a Threshers win would clinch their playoff berth.  At that point the score was tied 4-4 so the game became crucial for the Threshers.  The team went on to score two runs in the bottom of the sixth to go up 6-4, but Lakeland made it interesting in the final frame picking up a run and getting two base runners before the Threshers could seal a victory with the 6-5 margin.

The team and fans celebrated at the Tiki bar in left field until the wee hours of the morning that night, but the celebrating did not hamper the Threshers efforts on Sunday.    Though they did get behind 2-0 in the third inning the Threshers stormed back to win 11-2 and ended the regular season on a high note.

The playoffs begin for the team against the Sarasota Reds in a best of three series that begins at home on Tuesday night.  They then move to Sarasota for games two and three (if necessary).  The winner of that series will take on either the St. Lucie Mets or the Brevard County Manatees immediately following the conclusion of the eastern and western division series.

The toughest road for the Threshers will be to get by the Reds who have owned the Threshers with a 12-6 record against them this year.  In the second half of the year though, the two teams have split at three wins each with the Reds finishing six games behind the Threshers in fifth place of the six team division.