The Great Lakes Loons advanced to the Eastern Division Championship Series with their 5-2 win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Great Lakes Loons)

The Great Lakes Loons entered their winner-take-all playoff game with the Tampa Bay Rays affiliate Bowling Green Hot Rods on Saturday having experienced the best they had to offer and – well – the other side of the equation. On Thursday they had rolled over Bowling Green 15-1 but followed up that record breaking performance on Friday by squandering a 6-2 lead and losing 8-6 to the Hot Rods handing them their first ever playoff win.

The offensive outburst in the first game of the series was unexpected but so also were the eight runs given up by the pitching staff in the second encounter in Bowling Green. A defensive miscue allowed three runs to score in the bottom of the seventh inning but the infielder had not given up the two walks and singles that came around to score in the inning. In fact, the Loons pitching staff had given up more than five runs on only one occasion in their last 25 games. In 17 of those contests they gave up two or fewer runs along with posting six shutouts.

During the game on Friday the Loons broadcasting crew – Chris Vosters, Brad Tunney and Communications Manager Matt DeVries – mentioned several times the Loons seemed to be uncertain as to how to put the game away and how difficult it is to win the deciding game in a series.

Saturday’s game would be the final game for either the Loons or the Hot Rods as they vied for the right to play on in the next Eastern Division series with the West Michigan Whitecaps who earlier in the day had eliminated the South Bend Cubs from further play. The Whitecaps are the defending Midwest League Champions.

Right-hander Walker Buehler was tabbed by manager Gil Velazquez to start the all-important game for the Loons. Dodger fans will remember that the 6’-2” Buehler was a first-round draft selection by the Dodgers in 2015 with the 24th overall pick.

Although apparently not really a surprise to the Dodgers front office, it was a surprise for their minor league fan base when Buehler had Tommy John surgery on August 5 and was projected not to return to action until the 2017 season.

The 22-year-old Buehler defied the odds a bit and returned to action on July 7 in a game with the Loons against the West Michigan Whitecaps. He pitched two hitless, scoreless innings giving up one walk and striking out two Whitecaps. The surprise was not that he had pitched so well but that he did so just 11 months removed from his elbow surgery.

Buehler pitched again on August 10 with the Arizona league Dodgers and once more with the Loons on August 28. Over his three appearances he logged 5.1 innings giving up no hits or runs while walking three and striking out six.

Although new to a professional playoff game, Buehler is not new to championship competition. The right-handed pitcher helped lead Vanderbilt to the 2014 NCAA championship and then won a championship as the MVP in the Cape Cod League.

It was expected he would be limited to two innings in this playoff game although he would love to have gone longer: “Everything is limited now,” said Buehler, who beat projections that he wouldn’t be pitching until the 2017 season. “Everything has a number attached to it.”

It was also expected that he might be followed to the hill after his two innings by left-hander Leonardo Crawford, right-hander Andrew Istler and hopefully by Shea Spitzbarth who has emerged as the Loons closer.

The Great Lakes squad lost an opportunity on Friday to miss out on facing Hot Rods right-hander Blake Bivens who just turned 21 in August. On the season Bivens went 8-4 over 93 innings pitched while posting a 2.52 ERA and striking out 96.

He faced Great Lakes twice during the season pitching 11.1 innings and limiting the Loons to two runs on nine hits while striking out 10.

For the third time in three playoff games with the Hot Rods the Loons scored first. Leadoff hitter Saige Jenco singled to right field and scored following a stolen base, a Bowling Green error and a Logan Landon single to left field.

Walker Buehler came out firing in the bottom of the first inning featuring a 97 mph fastball and retiring the six batters he faced in his two innings. He did so on 25 pitches including 15 strikes.

Nineteen-year-old Leonardo Crawford replaced Buehler in the bottom of the third inning and immediately had a tough break when right fielder Luke Raley lost a ball in the lights that fell for a triple with none out. Hot Rods right fielder Landon Cray followed with a long home run to right center field giving Bowling Green a 2-1 lead.

The Loons threatened in the sixth inning loading the bases with a single by Luke Raley, a double by Omar Estevez and an intentional walk to Brendon Davis. However, Bivens proved more than equal to the task getting out the inning with two strikeouts and a ground out. Over six innings he gave up four hits, one run and struck out eight.

The Hot Rods also threatened in the sixth inning. Following a single by third baseman Kevin Padlo, first baseman Kewby Meyer lined a double to right fielder Luke Raley. With textbook efficiency Raley hit cutoff man Omar Estevez who fired a strike to catcher Jake Henson nailing Padlo at the plate.

Right-hander Elias Torres took the mound for the Hot Rods in the top of the seventh inning and the Loons down to their last nine outs. Following two strikeouts Torres gave up a bloop single to speeder Saige Jenco and a line shot to right center field by Luke Raley. Jenco rounded second and headed for third base where he got the green light from third base coach and manager Gil Velazquez. Hot Rods catcher David Rodriguez dropped the ball with Jenco scoring an unlikely run from first base on a single. Raley took second base on the throw and then scored on a single by Omar Estevez giving the Loons a 3-2 lead.

Loons manager stayed with Leonardo Crawford in the seventh inning and was rewarded with a clean inning aided by a running, leaping catch by outfielder Luke Raley. Over his five innings the young lefty gave up five hits, two runs, struck out three and walked none.

In the top of the eighth inning the Loons struck again. Catcher Jake Henson had a good at at bat finally singling on a ground ball to center field. First baseman Gage Green, who had pinch hit earlier in the game, then launched a 383-foot home run to right center field that hit the video scoreboard displaying his picture. With a bit of breathing room, the Loons took a comfortable but not commanding 5-2 lead.

Right-hander Andrew Istler relieved Crawford in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Hot Rods are difficult to put away and with one out in the inning singled twice with one out and the Bowling Green big hitters coming up. Istler finished off the inning inducing a ground out and a pop up.

Istler came out again in the ninth inning featuring a fastball that rode up to 96 mph and a changeup. He put the Hot Rods down in order to start the on-field celebration for the Loons.

With the win the Loons won their first playoff series since 2010. After the long bus ride home they will face the West Michigan Whitecaps on Sunday at Dow Diamond in Midland in a battle for the Eastern Division title in the Midwest League.

Game time on Sunday is 7:05 ET with coverage provided by announcers Chris Vosters and Brad Tunney on ESPN 100.9-FM and Loons.com.