.jpg)
The Winnipeg Goldeyes came within feet of tying the game with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning but were defeated 6-3 by the Gary SouthShore RailCats (13-23) at Blue Cross Park Wednesday evening.
Box Score
With two runners on, Goldeyes right fielder Max Murphy drove a ball deep to right field that Gary SouthShore’s Chad Smith caught with his back against the wall to end the ballgame.
Winnipeg (19-17) jumped out to a 1-0 first inning lead when Murphy drove in third baseman Ramón Bramasco with a single to right field. Murphy then scored on centre fielder Miles Simington’s double to centre field to make it 2-0.
The RailCats quickly evened the score in the top of the second. First baseman José Contreras tripled off the fence in left field to bring home centre fielder Francisco Del Valle. One batter later Contreras was driven in by shortstop Howard Rodríguez’s single to centre.
Gary SouthShore rallied in the third inning to take a 6-2 lead. With two out, left fielder LG Castillo singled to left to score third baseman Olivier Basabe. Then RailCats designated hitter and former Winnipeg first baseman Jacob Bockelie hit a ball to centre field that Simington lost in the sun and the ball dropped in for a three-run, inside-the-park home run.
The Goldeyes got one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning on first baseman Jake McMurray’s sacrifice fly to right field that allowed second baseman Dayson Croes to score, however the final six frames were scoreless.
Tai Tiedemann (W, 2-4) started for Gary SouthShore and earned the victory. He scattered seven hits over six innings and allowed three runs – all earned. Nate Alexander (S, 3) picked up his third save in as many contests.
Colton Eastman (L, 2-6) gave up six earned runs in seven innings of work. He struck out five and walked three. Winnipegger Ben Onyshko and Ryder Yakel each threw a perfect inning of relief for the home side.
“I thought Colton threw well. The inside-the-park home run was very unfortunate. That’s a routine fly ball if Miles sees it,” said Goldeyes manager Logan Watkins. “It ends up being three-run home run and all of those runs are earned which is too bad. Colton found a way to fight through that gave us seven innings.”
The series concludes Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CDT when right-hander Zac Reininger (3-2, 4.30 ERA) will start for Winnipeg. Lefty Chris Erwin (2-2, 6.84 ERA) will take the hill for the RailCats.