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The Winnipeg Goldeyes (50-41) scored six times over the final three innings and secured a post-season berth with a 7-2 victory over the Kansas City Monarchs Saturday evening at Legends Field.
Box Score
It will be the 21st playoff appearance in franchise history. The win also assures the Goldeyes will finish the regular season with a winning record, something the club has now done 25 times.
With the score even at 1-1 in the top of the seventh inning, catcher Kevin García hit a hot smash to first base that was misplayed by Frankie Tostado and bounced down the right field line. First baseman Jake McMurray came in from second on the play. García crossed the plate one batter later when right fielder Roby Enríquez doubled off the short fence in right field 3-1 Winnipeg. They would increase the lead to three on shortstop Ramón Bramasco’s single to left-centre field that drove in Enríquez.
The Goldeyes added two more in the eighth on a two-run ground rule double to right field by Enríquez that brought in McMurray and second baseman Edwin Arroyo.
Kansas City (42-50) got a run back in the bottom of the inning when left fielder Moisés Gómez hit a ground rule double to right that drove in Tostado.
Winnipeg went back up by five in the top of the ninth as Arroyo hit an infield single that scored left fielder Miles Simington.
The Monarchs threatened again in their last at-bat, however, Ben Onyshko got centre fielder Lorenzo Cedrola to ground into a game-ending double play.
The Goldeyes opened the scoring in the top of the first, with Bramasco coming home on Simington’s sacrifice fly to centre.
Kansas City drew even in the third on a home run to straightaway centre by designated hitter Isiah Gilliam.
Mitchell Lambson (W, 1-0) went seven innings in his third start since being re-acquired by Winnipeg. He allowed one run on four hits and struck out four batters.
Junior Cerda (L, 1-1) gave up three runs on two hits in just one third of an inning in relief of Monarchs’ starter Collin Wiles.
The rubber match goes Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. CDT. Zac Reininger (8-5, 4.47 ERA) will start for the Goldeyes, while fellow right-hander Hunter McMahon (3-3, 4.14 ERA) will take the mound for Kansas City.
The Goldeyes return home to Blue Cross Park for their final regular season homestand on Monday, August 26 at 6:30 p.m., when they will begin a three-game set against the Gary SouthShore RailCats.