JEANNA DUERSCHERL The Roanoke Times

Salem Red Sox teammates spray each other with beer after defeating the Lynchburg Hillcats and advancing to the playoffs. For more behind the scenes of the Red Sox celebrating their win, go to The Roanoke Times photo blog at roanoke.com.

JEANNA DUERSCHERL The Roanoke Times

Salem second baseman Zach Borowiak tags Lynchburg Hillcats player Jose De Los Santos out as he tries to slide back to first base.

LYNCHBURG -- Soaked to the skin in a frothy mix of champagne, beer and ecstasy, Derrick Loop took a moment to reflect.

"This is what you live for," he said. "This is why you play ball. The celebration, the team camaraderie. This is the culmination of all season long, we fought our way into the playoffs.

"Now we have to get the job done."

Well, not right now. First, Loop had to pull his swim goggles back up over his eyes and rejoin his rollicking teammates, who had paused just a moment to hear manager Chad Epperson's admonition not to drink and drive -- "we'll get you a ride home, be safe" -- before pouring most of the available alcohol over each others' heads rather than into their mouths.

"These guys are nuts," said Brad Correll, whose two-out double in the ninth inning drove in the game-winning run. "They're fun though."

The Red Sox, with a sub-.500 record overall, clinched the last available Carolina League playoff berth with a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over the Lynchburg Hillcats at City Stadium on Monday, the last day of the regular season.

Down 5-1 through six innings, the Sox got a two-run double from Zach Borowiak in the seventh inning, a two-run double from Tim Federowicz in the eighth and the game-winning RBI double by Correll in the top of the ninth.

Then, Loop came on to shut out the Hillcats in the bottom of the ninth to earn his 18th save.

Anthony Rizzo went 2-for-4 with a homer and a double. Correll also went 2-for-4 and Federowicz had two doubles.

Salem finished the second-half with a 35-35 record overall, tied with first-half champion Winston-Salem. The tie earned the Red Sox the division's wild-card playoff spot. Lynchburg and Wilmington will play for the Northern Division title.

The best-of-five Southern Division championship series begins Wednesday in Winston-Salem.

"This is a special time," Salem manager Chad Epperson said. "They're in there celebrating, but they're already in there talking about winning the whole thing.

"And I would not put it past 'em."

"I do want a ring," said Correll, who is 28 and is playing for his fourth Carolina League team. "I'm an older guy, and I don't have a ring yet. I think having one would make it easier to hang 'em up if I have to."

The Red Sox needed a win over Lynchburg or a Kinston loss to Potomac on Monday to avoid a one-game tiebreaker game to make the playoffs. They got both.

Kinston was ahead 3-0 before Salem's game started, and the Red Sox fell behind early.

Hillcats catcher Kris Watts led off the second with a solo homer off starter Stephen Fife. Then, Fife gave up an unearned run after dropping a ball while covering first. Lynchburg added a run on two doubles in the third and two more on a single, a double and a pickoff-gone-bad in the sixth. When Fife caught Jose De Los Santos off the bag at first base, De Los Santos kept the rundown going long enough for Alex Presley to score from third before getting tagged out to give Lynchburg a 5-1 lead. But the Salem dugout was abuzz with text messages keeping up with the Kinston game, which started an hour before the Red Sox took on Lynchburg.

Epperson said he felt his team was "pressing early on, not only our hitting but our pitching too."

"Then we started getting messages in the dugout that it was 4-3 [in Potomac], then all of a sudden it's tied, and then our bats started working," Epperson said.

Federowicz and Chih-Hsien Chiang led off the seventh with a double and a single. Both scored on Borowiak's double.

By the end of the seventh, news that Potomac was up 8-4 was spreading through the dugout. A one-out walk to Correll and single by Mike Jones preceded Federowicz's game-tying double in the top of the eighth.

Then, Ryan Dent led off the Salem ninth with a double to left. Dent went to third on a groundout by Che-Hsuan Lin, then after another groundout and an intentional walk to Rizzo, Correll doubled to left to bring Dent home.

That run brought Loop into the game for the bottom of the ninth. Loop struck out pinch-hitter Jared Keel, then got three straight grounders -- thanks to an error by Hee, he needed three to get two outs -- to secure the win.

"This is exactly what I wanted to happen," said Loop. "Scoring that run in the top of the ninth, there's nothing like that adrenaline warming up in the bullpen.

"This is where I am me."

HOW THE RUNS SCORED

Lynchburg second: Watts homered. Sanchez doubled. Hague grounded out. Presley grounded out, Sanchez to third. De Los Santos reached on an error by Fife, Sanchez scored. Hillcats 2, Red Sox 0.

Lynchburg third: One out. Mercer doubled. Romak doubled, Mercer scored. Hillcats 3, Red Sox 0.

Salem fourth: Rizzo homered. Hillcats 3, Red Sox 1.

Lynchburg sixth: Two outs. Hague singled. Presley tripled, Hague scored. De Los Santos walked. De Los Santos got caught in a run down on a pickoff attempt, Presley scored. Hillcats 5, Red Sox 1.

Salem seventh: Federowicz doubled. Chiang singled, Federowicz to third. Borowiak doubled, Federowicz scored, Chiang scored. Hillcats 5, Red Sox 3.

Salem eighth: One out. Correll walked. Jones singled, Correll to second. Segovia pinch ran for Jones. Correll to third on a wild pitch by Bishop, Segovia to second. Federowicz doubled, Correll scored, Segovia scored. Red Sox 5, Hillcats 5.

Salem ninth: Dent doubled. Lin grounded out, Dent to third. Hee grounded out. Rizzo intentionally walked. Correll doubled, Dent scored. Red Sox 6, Hillcats 5.

SALEM LYNCHBURG

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Lin cf 3 0 0 0 d'Arnaud 2b 4 0 0 0

Hee 3b 5 0 0 0 Harrison 3b 5 0 2 0

Rizzo 1b 4 1 2 1 Mercer ss 4 1 1 0

Correll rf 4 1 2 1 Romak rf 4 0 1 1

Jones dh 4 0 1 0 Watts dh 4 1 1 1

Segovia pr-dh 1 1 0 0 Sanchez c 4 1 1 0

Federowicz c 4 1 2 2 Hague 1b 4 1 1 0

Chiang lf 4 1 1 0 Presley lf 3 1 1 1

Mailman lf 0 0 0 0 Keel ph 1 0 0 0

Borowiak 2b 4 0 1 2 De Los Santos cf 3 0 0 0

Dent ss 3 1 1 0

Totals 36 6 10 6 Totals 36 5 8 3

Salem 000 100 221 -- 6

Lynchburg 021 002 000 -- 5

E--Fife (2), Hee (10), Mercer (21). DP--Lynchburg 1. LOB--Salem 8, Lynchburg 6. 2B--Rizzo (16), Federowicz 2 (13), Borowiak (13), Dent (4), Correll (5), Sanchez (2), Mercer (36), Romak (9). 3B--Presley (11). HR--Rizzo (3), Watts (7). S--Lin. SB--De Los Santos (53), d'Arnaud (14). CS--De Los Santos (8).

IP H R ER BB SO

Salem

Fife 6 7 5 4 2 7

Coello W, 5-3 2 1 0 0 0 3

Loop S, 18 1 0 0 0 0 1

Lynchburg

McSwain 2 0 0 0 0 0

Boleska 3 2 1 1 0 0

Colla 2 4 2 2 0 1

Bishop 1 2 2 2 1 1

Krol L, 1-1 1 2 1 1 1 0

WP--Bishop.; HBP--by Boleska (Lin, Dent).

T--2:23.; A--2,718.

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