With break looming, Hawks lose: Sioux Falls avoids series sweep, limits RedHawks to three hits

The first-half title in hand and a decent start to the second half, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks picked a good time for a break.

The vacation seemed more welcome late Sunday afternoon after the Sioux Falls Canaries shut down the Hawks 3-2 before 3,404 at Newman Outdoor Field to prevent a F-M series sweep. The RedHawks, 4-2 in the first half and 36-17 overall, will have seven players and their coaching staff in Joliet, Ill., today for Tuesday's Northern League All-Star game.

"We need this break," said RedHawks manager Doug Simunic. "We're blowing out oil."

At least F-M's bats were sputtering on Sunday. The Hawks did not send more than four batters to the plate in any one inning, mostly due to Sioux Falls pitcher Cory Walters.

He gave up just three hits in seven innings before leaving with a blister on his finger.

"What helped me is the only thing that has been killing me lately is the long ball," Walters said. "I gave up one."

The only credited hit through five innings was Jason Kinchen's high pop fly to short left field that shortstop Joe Rhomberg appeared to lose in the sun.

Any thoughts of a (sort of) no-hitter were erased on the first pitch of the sixth inning - one Brad Mazer sent over the left field wall to chop Sioux Falls' lead to 3-1.

Kinchen's sacrifice fly in the seventh cut it to 3-2. It scored Kelley Gulledge, who tripled on a shot that hit the glove of left fielder Glenn Davis and the top of the fence at about the same time.

"He kept us off balance," Kinchen said. "We couldn't put anything together out there."

Meanwhile, the Canaries made RedHawks starting pitcher Derek Dormanen work just to maintain the small deficit. The Canaries had three runs and 10 hits through five innings, but had a few chances to make it easier on themselves.

For instance, they loaded the bases twice in the fourth inning only to get Rhomberg's run-scoring single out of it.

Fargo-Moorhead relievers Justin Fuller and Ben King - two left-handed pitchers who were signed last week - combined for hitless ball in the last four innings, giving the RedHawks a chance to rally. Fuller threw the sixth and seventh innings and King the eighth and ninth innings.

Walters, who said his blister started to come on in the third inning, left before the start of the seventh.

"I tried pitching through it," he said. "But finally I just told (Sioux Falls manager Doc Edwards) I wasn't good enough to go."

Mike Lyons set down the Hawks 1-2-3 in the eighth. Closer Brandon Parker did the same in the ninth.

"It was a day where we kind of had to take a deep breath and try to get something going," said RedHawks shortstop Bryon Jeffcoat. "And we never could get anything going. You have to tip your hat to them."

The RedHawks played without designed hitter Eric Kofler, whose wife is due to give birth to their baby.

"We're tired," Simunic said. "This team needs a break."

SIOUX FALLS REDHAWKS

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Gaspar cf 4 1 0 0 Mathis cf 4 0 0 0

Parker 2b 3 1 2 0 Jeffcoat ss 4 0 0 0

FPagan 3b 5 0 1 1 Fitzgrld lf 4 0 0 0

Thomas 1b 4 0 2 0 Gulledge c 3 1 1 0

Davis lf 4 1 1 0 Kinchen 1b 2 0 1 1

CPagan c 4 0 2 1 Ward 2b 3 0 0 0

Kinslvng dh 4 0 0 0 Foley rf 3 0 0 0

Beshears rf 3 0 1 0 Mazer 3b 3 1 1 1

Rhombrg ss 4 0 1 1 Hebrink dh 3 0 0 0

Totals 35 3 10 3 29 2 3 2

Sioux Falls 100 110 000-3 10 0

RedHawks 000 001 100-2 3 0

DP-RedHawks 2, Sioux Falls 0. LOB-Sioux Falls 9, RedHawks 1. 2B-F. Pagan (10). 3B-Gulledge (2). HR-Mazer (4). SF-Kinchen.

IP H R ER BB SO

Sioux Falls

Walters W,4-3 7 3 2 2 0 7

Lyons 1 0 0 0 0 1

Parker S,2 1 0 0 0 0 0

RedHawks

Dormanen L,0-2 5 10 3 3 1 6

Fuller 2 0 0 0 2 1

King 2 0 0 0 1 0

Umpires-Home: Rob Zelinka, First: Hank Himmanen, Third: Ben Franson. Time-2:26. A-3,404.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack at (701) 241-5546