AA Winnipeg Goldeyes

Haerther's Bat Helps Goldeyes Blowout Canaries

June 26, 2015 - American Association (AA)
Winnipeg Goldeyes News Release


Winnipeg Goldeyes first baseman Casey Haerther hit .360 last year. So far this season he has been around .270. But on Thursday night at Sioux Falls Stadium, he suddenly became the Casey Haerther that Goldeyes fans have come to know and love.

Haerther had five hits, including a three-run homer, a run scored and a team record-tying eight runs batted in as he led the Goldeyes to a 20-13 win over the Sioux Falls Canaries. He also raised his batting average to .300 and finished only a triple shy of the cycle.

Haerther tied the franchise record of eight RBI in a single game, last done by Kevin West on July 29, 2008 at Shaw Park against the Gary SouthShore RailCats.

With the victory, the Goldeyes won their second straight game and improved to 14-18 on the season as they continue to try to battle back to .500. The Goldeyes are now tied with Sioux Falls for second place in the American Association's North Division. The Goldeyes are now four games back in the wild card race.

"It wasn't pitched all that well," said Goldeyes pitching coach Jamie Vermilyea bluntly. "But after the first couple of innings, the bullpen settled down and only gave up a few runs late in the game. We've been waiting for an offensive output like that and it sure made the difference tonight. We've been waiting for a game like that from Casey. He's got a lot of those in him. Nice to get him jump-started tonight.

"It's tough when your starter isn't going six or seven innings, but the bullpen did a good job tonight and with the offence, they got us a W."

On a night when the Goldeyes bats boomed, Haerther was the best of the bunch. However, that doesn't mean he didn't get some help. The Fish put up a run in the first, four in the second, six in the third, five in the fourth, two in the fifth and two more in the eighth as they produced their highest run total since they beat Sioux Falls 20-16 on Aug. 6, 2012.

Haerther, with five hits, was one of six Goldeyes who had multi-hit nights. Leadoff man Brady Wilson had two hits and four runs batted in. No 2 hitter Adam Heisler had two hits, two walks, two RBI and five runs scored. Cleanup hitter Jon Weber had three hits and two RBI. Josh Mazzola, hitting out of the five hole, was sensational. He, too, was a triple shy of the cycle and had three hits, two walks, a solo homer, three runs scored and one RBI. And rookie Kyle Brandenburg went three-for-six with two runs scored and a career-high four runs driven in.

Catcher Luis Alen tied a Goldeyes (Chad Ehrenberger) and American Association record with five consecutive walks. In his final at-bat, he beat out an infield hit to finish one-for-one. He was on base six times and scored three runs.

No one doubted that the talented Goldeyes would eventually start to hit, but no one figured something like this would happen. The Goldeyes finished with 20 runs on 20 hits, while Sioux Falls, a team that scored five runs in the first inning and four more in the third off Goldeyes starter Rob Nixon, finished with 13 runs on 18 hits. The Canaries committed three errors, while five Sioux Falls pitchers gave up 11 walks.

Goldeyes starter Rob Nixon (2-3, 8.23 ERA) got credit for the win, while Sioux Falls starter Shawn Blackwell (1-5, 3.52 ERA) gave up 11 runs, only six earned, on nine hits and was tagged with the loss.

The Goldeyes and Canaries will play Game 2 of this three-game series on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. Lefty Nick Hernandez will get the start for Winnipeg, while Joe Bircher will take the ball for Sioux Falls. Righthander Matt Jackson will head to the bump for the Goldeyes in the series finale on Saturday night. Miguel Pena will get the start for the Canaries.

Friday and Saturday night's games can be heard live on The Jewel 100.5 with Steve Schuster at the microphone.

The Goldeyes will return home on Monday night to face the Sioux City Explorers. Tickets for all Goldeyes home games in 2015 are available through Ticketmaster by clicking on Goldeyes.com, calling 1-855-GOLDEYE or visiting any Ticketmaster location, including the Shaw Park box office.

Check out the Winnipeg Goldeyes Statistics



American Association Stories from June 26, 2015


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