Goldeyes' Bats Hot in 16-7 Win
Published on August 21, 2010 under Northern League (NL)
Winnipeg Goldeyes News Release
FARGO, N.D. - Winnipeg Goldeyes manager Rick Forney wants consistent hitting throughout his lineup. Saturday night in Fargo, his team gave it to him. In spades!
The Goldeyes pounded out 21 hits and scored in seven different innings as Winnipeg blasted the first-place Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 16-7 In front of 4,322 at Newman Outdoor Field.
"It's important we hit consistently and it's important we get hitting from one-through-nine in the lineup," Forney said. "We've been putting a lot of pressure on Kevin (West) and Juan (Diaz), but when we get hitting from all of our guys, and they're all capable of doing it, we win baseball games."
With the win, the Goldeyes got back to .500 at 42-42, but still trail the Joliet JackHammers by half a game in the race for the fourth and final spot in the Northern League.
The Goldeyes scored early and often. They picked up two in the second inning on a two-run homer by Justin Justice, who has three bombs in the series, and then put up five in the third.
Zach Williams led off the third with a single and then went to third on a double by Dee Brown. Kevin West then singled home both Williams and Brown to make it 4-0. Juan Diaz singled to put runners on the corners and then Luis Alen doubled down the leftfield line to score West and put runners on second and third.
Alen's double, which kicked up chalk when it landed on the baseline, not only drove in Winnipeg's fifth run, it upset Fargo manager Doug Simunic, who argued with third base umpire Hank Himmanen and got tossed from the game for his efforts.
The long, drawn-out argument didn't deter the Goldeyes, who put up two more runs in the third as Vince Harrison singled to drive home Diaz and Alen and make it 7-0.
The Goldeyes scored another run in the fourth as Aharon Eggleston singled, went to second on a ground out and scored on a single by Diaz.
The RedHawks scored three in the bottom of the fourth, but the Goldeyes answered by putting up three more in the fifth. Alen hit a solo homer, his 11th of the year (and his 50th RBI) and then Eggleston hit a two-out, two-run homer over the rightfield wall to make the score 11-3
The Fish put up another run in the sixth as West singled, went to third on a double by Justice and scored on a ground out by Alen.
Even with the score 12-3 after 5 1/2, the RedHawks didn't give up. Fargo scored one in the sixth and three in the seventh to make it 12-7 and gave the Goldeyes a scare. But in the eighth, West walked, Diaz doubled him home and then Diaz scored from second on a single by Justice.
That made it 14-7 and put the Fish ahead by a converted touchdown. But they weren't finish.
In the ninth, Williams singled, Eggleston singled, Brown walked and Diaz singled - his fourth hit of the game - to drive in Williams and Eggleston and make it 16-7. Diaz also had four RBI and now has 66 on the season, best on the Goldeyes and fifth in the Northern League.
Most importantly, Forney got the consistent hitting he was craving. Every Goldeyes batter had at least one hit. Diaz had four hits, Eggleston, Justice and Williams each had three hits, West, Alen and Harrison each had two. Diaz had four RBI and three runs scored, Justice and Alen each had three RBI, West and Eggleston each had two RBI and three runs scored.
Goldeyes starter Anthony Bello got the win (4-6, 4.91). RedHawks starter Matt Mossey took the loss (7-4, 4.52).
"When you get 20 hits, you're expected to win," first-base coach Rudy Arias told CFRW's Paul Edmonds after the game. "I'm very happy with the way the guys are swinging the bats. We're at the point in the season where we almost have to win every night. We keep hitting like that we'll have a chance."
Winnipeg and Fargo play the final game of this important four-game series in Fargo beginning at 11:30 Sunday morning. It will be Southpaw Sunday at Newman Outdoor Field. Lefty Jason Mackintosh (1-4, 5.03 ERA) will get the start for the Goldeyes while lefty Jake Laber (8-4, 4.03) will get the call for Fargo. The game can be heard live, with the Voice of the Goldeyes, Paul Edmonds on1290 CFRW.
Northern League Stories from August 21, 2010
- RiverHawks Build Big Early Lead, Halt RailCats Win Streak - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- Diaz, Goldeyes Blow out RedHawks - Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
- Goldeyes' Bats Hot in 16-7 Win - Winnipeg Goldeyes
- RiverHawks Win on Austin, Eigsti Homers - Rockford RiverHawks
- Fielders Drop Game Three 4-1 to Flyers - Lake County Fielders
- JackHammers Cancel Camp Construction - Joliet JackHammers
- T-Bones Topple JackHammers 6-4 - Joliet JackHammers
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