51s succumb to streaking Portland in PCL season finale

Landon Hall

Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2001 | 10:13 a.m.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Emil Brown hit a solo home run to break a 2-all tie in the fifth inning as the Portland Beavers finished their inaugural season with a flourish by defeating the Las Vegas 51s 3-2 Monday.

Brown also had an RBI double in the third, and Carlton Loewer pitched five innings to get the win for the Beavers, who completed a four-game sweep of Las Vegas.

Portland (71-73) finished the season winning seven of nine games after losing six straight. The Beavers ended up third in the Pacific Coast League's Northern Division, and had the eighth-best record in the 16-team league.

The 51s (68-76) had a man on second and no outs in the ninth, but Portland shortstop Julius Matos made a diving stop to his right to hold the runner. With two on, pitcher Brian Corey struck out the side to earn his sixth save of the season.

The Beavers also were a hit at the box office, bringing a positive end to a mixed season in which the team failed to show a profit and make a scheduled $800,000 payment to the city. A Labor Day crowd of 10,221 -- the third-largest of the season -- showed up for the finale at PGE Park. The final two games drew an average of 9,147, more than 2,000 above the team's season average.

"It was everything I expected and more," said third baseman Sean Burroughs, who sat out the last two games with a sore right shoulder but ended the season as the Beavers' leading hitter at .322. "The fans were great, and the field was awesome. I had a great time."

Las Vegas' Angel Pena hit a two-run homer in the fourth to tie the game, but Brown drove a pitch from 51s pitcher Jim Bruske off the concrete wall in left for a homer.