RedHawks finally fall to Winnipeg

FARGO - The Goldeyes finally solved the RedHawks.

Winnipeg leadoff hitter Mike Coles scored three runs on a cool Wednesday night at Newman Outdoor Field. Those runs helped spark the Goldeyes to an 8-6 victory against Fargo-Moorhead in American Association baseball.

The RedHawks (54-29) had won the previous nine games between the teams.

"You've got to play almost perfect ball to beat a Fargo team," said Coles, who played for the RedHawks last season.

Winnipeg (48-34) hadn't beat the RedHawks since June 21 when it earned a 3-2 victory at Shaw Park. The Goldeyes had won the first four meetings against F-M this season before the RedHawks rattled off nine in a row.

"They're a good team," RedHawks manager Doug Simunic said of the Goldeyes. "They're going to win games. They've showed they can win. ... We've got to be able to come back here (today) and keep our momentum going."

The RedHawks host the Goldeyes at 12:30 p.m. today for the final game of a four-game series.

F-M threatened to keep its Winnipeg winning streak alive Wednesday night with a ninth-inning rally. The RedHawks had runners on second and third base with two outs and Ryan Delgado at bat. Delgado, who is second in the league with 75 RBIs, grounded out to second base for the game's final out. Earlier in the ninth inning, RedHawks shortstop Zach Penprase had hit a two-run home run that cut the Winnipeg lead to 8-6.

"Especially with me knowing these guys ... and knowing what kind of team Doug is going to put together every year, you've got to be able to finish," Coles said. "You can't give them extra outs."

The Goldeyes took the lead for good in the sixth inning, scoring two runs. Yurendell de Caster gave Winnipeg a 4-3 lead with an RBI single. The Goldeyes increased that lead to 5-3 after center fielder Chris Roberson scored on a wild pitch. The Goldeyes added two runs in the eighth inning and one run in the top of the ninth. Those late-inning runs gave Winnipeg an 8-4 lead.

"We just kept putting pressure on them," said Coles, who finished 2-for-5. "Extra runs are always big."

The RedHawks tied the game in the fifth inning with two runs. Penprase sparked the rally with an RBI single into right field. Third baseman Eric Campbell added a sacrifice that made the score 3-3. F-M, however, didn't play with a lead the entire evening.

RedHawks starter Alex Caldera was lifted in the fifth inning after throwing 97 pitches. The right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits in 4Zc innings. Caldera walked four batters and struck out three.

"Caldera was really struggling. He was behind in the game a lot," Simunic said. "He was out of his game a little bit. It's just one of those days where his sharpness wasn't as sharp as it needed to be."

NOTES: Left-hander Jake Laber is slated to start today for the RedHawks. Winnipeg is expected to counter with left-hander Chris Salamida. ... The RedHawks are 26-16 at home this season. ... RedHawks center fielder Nic Jackson went 3-for-5 to raise his season average to .327. Jackson leads the league in home runs (17) and RBIs (80).

WINNIPEG REDHAWKS

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Coles rf 5 3 2 0 Pnprse ss 5 2 3 3

Weber lf 4 0 0 0 Stovall lf 4 0 0 0

Rbrsn cf 3 2 2 2 Jckson cf 5 2 3 1

deCstr 3b 5 0 2 2 Cmpbll 3b 2 0 0 1

Mzzla 1b 4 0 1 1 Gaston rf 5 0 1 0

Alen c 5 0 3 0 Delgado c 5 0 2 1

Day dh 4 2 1 0 Rdrguz 1b 4 0 0 0

Ramon 3b 5 0 0 0 Jnnings dh 3 0 0 0

Kndall ss 4 1 3 1 Ssnskie ph 1 0 0 0 Cota 2b 2 2 2 0

Totals 39 8 14 6 Totals 36 6 11 6

Winnipeg 110 102 021-8 14 0

RedHawks 000 120 012-6 11 2

E-Rodriguez (11), Caldera (1). LOB-Winnipeg 12, RedHawks 9. DP-Winnipeg 1, RedHawks 1. 2B-Coles 2 (18), Roberson (21), Alen (14), Gaston (16), Cota (24). HR-Penprase (4), Jackson (17). SB-de Caster (13), Alen (2), Penprase (20).

WINNIPEG

IP H R ER BB SO

Walker W 6 7 3 3 1 4

Buening 1 0 0 0 1 0

Van Leur 0 1 1 1 0 0

Allen Zc 1 0 0 0 1

Baldwin Zc 0 0 0 0 1

Bodshbgh S 1Zc 2 2 2 2 2

REDHAWKS

IP H R ER BB SO

Caldera 4Zc 7 3 3 4 2

Harris L 1Zc 1 2 2 1 2

Fuqua 1Zc 1 0 0 0 1

Zenko 1Zc 5 3 3 1 1

Opsahl Xc 0 0 0 0 1

Umpires-Home: Bakke. First: Stureman. Third: Riggers. Time-3:28. A-3,411.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Eric Peterson at (701) 241-5513.

Peterson's blog can be found at peterson.areavoices.com