By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Lehigh Valley Ironpigs, Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, began play in the International League postseason on Thursday night, playing host to division rival Scranton Wilkes/Barre, a team that beat them in last year's playoffs. The Ironpigs trailed by as many a four, but a big sixth inning and a clutch extra inning hit gave them the advantage to start the first series of the postseason.
Down 3-0 in the third, outfielder Carlos Tocci slapped a double left field and moved to third on a Logan Moore groundout during the next at-bat. Scott Kingery followed with a single to center, plating Tocci to make it a 3-1 game.
Scranton Wilkes/Barre tacked on runs in both the fourth and the fifth, extending their lead to four, but the 'Pigs wouldn't go away in the sixth inning. Scott Kingery led off with a single a two batters later, Brock Stassi drew a base on balls. Mitch Walding drove in Kingery with an RBI-single, cutting the deficit to three. Angelo Mora hit a single of his own with one out, scoring Stassi to bring Lehigh Valley back to within two. After Scranton changed pitchers, Dylan Cozens roped an RBI-single to right, bringing in Walding to score and get one run closer. With Angelo Mora at third and still only one out, Andrew Pullin lifted a sacrifice fly to to center, allowing Mora to score and tie the game at 5-5.
Lehigh Valley couldn't capitalize in the eight with two runners in scoring position and loaded the bases in the 11th, but did not get a run across. In the 12th, Angelo Mora and Dylan Cozens both walked to start the inning. A wild pitch advanced them to second and third with one out. Herlis Rodriguez was intentionally walked to load the bases, bringing Carlos Tocci to the plate. Entering the game with just two hits in his last 21 at-bats, the 22-year-old native of Venezuela blooped a single into right, scoring Mora from third to win the game for Lehigh Valley.
Tocci finished the game 3-for-6 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. Scott Kingery also went 3-for-6 with an RBI while Angelo Mora tallied two hits, two runs, an RBI and two walks. Andrew Pullin drove in a run and hit a double for the Ironpigs.
On the pitching end of things, Drew Anderson got the start for Lehigh Valley and surrendered five runs, three earned, over six innings while striking out six. Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte got the win, hurling a scoreless 12th with a strikeout.
Lehigh Valley and Scranton Wilkes/Barre continue their best-of-five series tonight at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown with first pitch scheduled for 7:05pm. No. 19 Phillies prospect Elniery Garcia gets the nod in game two. In an injury-shortened 2017 season, the 22-year-old southpaw went 2-1 with a 1.47 ERA between two starts in the GCL and three with Double-A Reading. He'll be opposed by Yankees farmhand Chance Adams. The former fifth round pick from the 2015 draft went 15-5 with a 2.45 ERA this season in 27 starts between Double-A and Triple-A.
