Goldeyes Back on Top in Wild Card Hunt
August 25, 2012 - American Association (AA)
Winnipeg Goldeyes News Release
Josh Mazzola homered and Ace Walker delivered right when the Winnipeg Goldeyes needed him.
Saturday night at Midway Stadium in St. Paul, Mazzola's two-run homer got the Goldeyes offense started and Walker, who took the ball on just three days rest, gave the Fish an outstanding start as Winnipeg pulled a game ahead of the St. Paul Saints in the American Association wild card race with a 5-2 win on the road.
A day after the Goldeyes were shutout for the second straight night for the first time since 2002, the Fish scored five runs on nine hits and improved to 51-40 on the season, one full game ahead of St. Paul (50-41) in the exciting wild card battle.
Goldeyes manager Rick Forney said on Friday that if his team scored first he had so much confidence in Walker that he expected his club would win and he got exactly what he was after.
In the third inning, with the score tied 0-0, Barbaro Canizares was safe on an error and with two out, Mazzola blasted a belt-high fastball over the Midway Stadium fence.
Walker gave up a run in the fourth, but the Goldeyes answered in the top of the seventh as Yurendell de Caster drove home Price Kendall with the eventual winning run.
In the eighth, with two out, Mike Coles drilled a stand-up double down the third base line scoring Mazzola and Jose Duran to give the Goldeyes a 5-1 lead and while the Saints scored a run on three hits in the ninth, closer Chris Bodishbaugh came in and got the final out to save the day for Walker who went 8.2 innings to win his ninth game of the season.
De Caster, Canizares and Luis Alen each had two hits to lead the Fish while Mazzola had a homer, his 17th of the year, to go with two runs scored and two driven in.
Walker (9-4, 3.56 ERA), who was clearly the best player on the field, allowed two runs on six hits over 8.2 innings and got the win. St. Paul ace Robert Coe (11-5, 2.88 ERA), suffered the loss. Bodishbaugh picked up his second save with the Goldeyes and his 19th of the year.
The Goldeyes and St. Paul play Game 3 of this four-game series on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. The game can be heard live on TSN 1290 with Paul Edmonds calling the play-by-play.
If the Goldeyes win on Sunday, they will guarantee that they leave St. Paul with no less than a one-game lead in the Wild Card race. Once again, on just three days rest, lefty Chris Salamida (5-6, 3.86 ERA) will get the start for Winnipeg while Luke Anderson (5-2, 3.21 ERA) will take the ball for the Saints.
American Association Stories from August 25, 2012
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