Goldeyes clinch 24th winning season

Photo: Winnipeg Goldeyes/Twitter

September 2, 2022

By Steve Schuster

Winnipeg Goldeyes

WINNIPEG, Man. – The Winnipeg Goldeyes (51-46) beat the Sioux Falls Canaries 7-5 at Shaw Park on Friday night.

The win guarantees the 24th winning season in franchise history, the most of any team in independent baseball.

Trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Goldeyes rallied for three runs to take their third lead of the night. Logan Hill singled to left-centre leading off. After Reggie Pruitt Jr. pinch ran for Hill, Kevin Lachance doubled into the left field corner to put runners on second and third. Hidekel Gonzalez walked to load the bases before Sioux Falls forced out Pruitt at home on a Raul Navarro fielder’s choice. Ian Sagdal drove in Lachance with a tying run on a sacrifice fly to left-centre in which Canaries’ centre fielder Wyatt Ulrich made a diving catch. Max Murphy gave Winnipeg the lead with a two-out, RBI single to centre. David Washington made it 7-5 with an RBI single to right-centre.

Tasker Strobel pitched a scoreless top of the ninth to earn his 21st save of the season.

Erasmo Pinales picked up the win in relief after pitching a scoreless top of the eighth.

Nate Garkow took the loss in relief for Sioux Falls.

The Goldeyes took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Navarro doubled to left-centre leading off, advanced to third on a Sagdal fly out to right, and scored on a Murphy ground out to shortstop.

Connor Blair tied the game at 1-1 with a two-out, solo home run to left-centre in the top of the third.

The Canaries took a 3-1 lead in the top of the third on a two-run home run to left-centre from Jabari Henry.

The Goldeyes scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. Washington led off with a home run off the batter’s eye in centre field. It was Washington’s 30th home run of the season. With Murphy having hit 31 home runs this season, the Goldeyes become the first club in American Association history to have two players hit 30 or more home runs. Two batters later, Jacob Rhinesmith singled to left-centre and advanced to third when Hill reached on a two-base throwing error by Angelo Altavilla. Lachance hit a ground ball to shortstop that plated Rhinesmith with the tying run, and the Goldeyes took their second lead of the game on a two-out, RBI single to right-centre from Gonzalez.

Sioux Falls rallied to take a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh on a Trey Michalczewski bases loaded walk and a two-out, RBI single from Altavilla.

Goldeyes’ starter Alex Manasa took a no-decision, allowing three earned runs on five hits in three innings. Manasa walked none and struck out two.

Canaries’ starter Neil Lang also took a no-decision, allowing four runs, two earned, on eight hits in six innings. Lang walked three and struck out four.

The series continues Saturday evening at 6:05 p.m. Luis Ramirez (10-6, 4.74) faces right-hander Stevie Ledesma (5-4, 5.61).