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MOOSIC — Nothing seems to be able to stop the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders these days.

Not even a 2-hour, 11-minute rain delay or a 3-hour, 25-minute game on Friday night following the long wait.

SWB had 13 hits at PNC Field en route to eliminating rival Lehigh Valley from the Governors’ Cup playoffs with an 11-3 win to sweep the best-of-five series. Including the end of the regular season, the RailRiders have won 10 games in a row. Shortly after the clock struck midnight, the RailRiders started celebrating on the field after J.R. Graham got Osmel Aguila to strike out.

The RailRiders wrapped up their first postseason series win since receiving the new moniker before the 2013 season and grabbed the franchise’s first playoff series victory since the SWB Yankees won a semifinal playoff series against Gwinnett in 2009.

SWB advances to the Governors’ Cup final and will host the winner of the other Governors’ Cup semifinal on Tuesday and Wednesday in Games 1 and 2. After winning 11-1 on Friday night, Gwinnett holds a 2-1 advantage in that series against Columbus. Game times at PNC Field will be 6:35 p.m.

Every batter in the RailRiders’ lineup scored at least one run with Kyle Higashioka leading the team’s offense with three hits. Mason Williams, Donovan Solano, Chris Parmelee, Jake Cave and Cito Culver had two hits apiece.

SWB blew the game open with an eight-run fourth inning when they sent 13 batters to the plate and knocked eight hits. The first run of the frame came home on a ground-rule double by Higashioka. One batter later, Culver drilled a hanging breaking ball over the wall in left field for a three-run shot as the rout was on and the champagne was iced early for the celebration that took place in the clubhouse after the victory.

The RailRiders got started early scoring three runs in the bottom of the first when a pair of runs scored on wild pitches by IronPigs starter Phil Klein, and another came home on a RBI groundout.

Lehigh Valley finally got on the scoreboard in the series after going 21 2/3 innings without scoring to start the series. The IronPigs broke an 0 for 18 streak with runners in scoring position in the series when Jesmuel Valentin singled in a run in the top of the fourth off Brady Lail to pull the ‘Pigs within 3-1.

Lail left the game after four innings and was relieved by Tyler Webb, who went an inning-plus allowing two runs in the sixth without getting anyone out.

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By Dave Rosengrant

For Times Leader