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AA Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks

'Hawks Walk off 5-4 vs Gary

August 12, 2015 - American Association (AA)
Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks News Release


FARGO, ND - In a thrilling 12 inning contest, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks stood with their backs against the wall in the bottom of the 12th inning against the Gary Southshore RailCats, but rallied and pulled out the 5-4 walk off win with a sellout crowd of 4,429 fans looking on at Newman Outdoor Field on Tuesday night.

It was obvious from the start the game would be decided in the late innings. RedHawks starter Taylor Stanton and RailCats' starter Fernando Gonzalez would not allow a run through four innings. Stanton retired 12 of the first 14 batters he faced while Gonzalez lived dangerously, stranding runners in scoring position in both the second and third frames.

Gonzalez folded first and the walks came back to haunt the rookie in the fifth inning. He had already walked three batters in the game, and would walk Drew Muren after a Zach Penprase single bringing Chad Mozingo to the plate. Mozingo took an offering just above the belt and pushed it to the alley in left-center allowing both Penprase and Muren to score making it 2-0 RedHawks signaling the end of the evening for Gonzalez.

Gary Southshore would respond in the top half of the sixth inning. With two outs, Brennan Metzger homered to left cutting the deficit to just one. The next batter, Jose Sermo, would reach on an error from Pineda and would be driven in later on an Alex Hernandez double making it 2-2 after six innings.

Stanton would retire the side in the seventh before giving way to recently signed right-hander Alex Kreis. Stanton went seven strong innings, allowing two runs on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Gary would threaten in the eighth, but the duo of Kreis and Nick Cooney stranded runners on first and second.

Neither club would put a runner on the base paths in the ninth inning and for the second night in a row Fargo-Moorhead would go to extra-innings.

The RedHawks would get a runner on as Joe Dunigan singled to left but he was picked off on a sneaky move by Andy Roberts ending the inning and sending the game to the eleventh inning bringing the international rule into play for the second night in a row.

Mike Nesseth came on to face the top of the order in the eleventh inning with J.D. Pulfer standing on second base and retired the side on two fly balls and a snare on the run by shortstop Zach Penprase getting the 'Hawks out of the jam.

In the bottom half of the frame Gary Manager Greg Tagert instituted a perfectly-ran force out play. With Dunigan standing on second, RailCats reliever Andy Loomis walked Luke Bailey on four pitches bringing up Joe Bonfe with no outs. Tagert called a meeting at the mound expecting the bunt and when Bonfe followed through by laying down the bunt, third baseman Roger Bernal charged and whipped to third where shortstop Elbert Devarie was covering getting the force out on Dunigan. Loomis would then strike out Charlie Valerio and Ryan Pineda ending the threat in the eleventh.

Nesseth remained on for the top of the 12th with Sermo standing on second. Leadoff man Adam Taylor took the second pitch from Nesseth and golfed it down the line just fair for a two run homer giving Gary the 4-2 lead heading to the home half of the 12thframe.

Facing left-hander Shawn O'Neill was Zach Penprase with Pineda standing on second to lead off. Penprase would reach on an infield single giving the 'Hawks runners on first and second with nobody out. Muren stepped up next sending a ground ball past the outstretched glove of Alex Hernandez into right field scoring Pineda making it 4-3. Penprase would steal third and be driven in on a sac fly from Michael Wing tying the game 4-4 bringing Joe Dunigan to the plate. Muren swiped second putting himself in scoring position for Dunigan. Of his final at-bat, Dunigan said, "They pounded me with fastballs early in the game so when I singled on a fastball in the last at-bat I figured they would just off-speed me to death. When Drew stole second it was all locking in trying to get a good pitch to hit." On a full count, Dunigan took a fastball on the outside of the plate and pulled it back to the gap between first and second allowing Muren to score giving the RedHawks the improbable 5-4 win in 12 innings.

Both starters walked away with no-decisions and Shawn O'Neill (2-2) took the loss while Benji Waite (1-0) picks up his first win of the season and first as a RedHawk for his work in the top of the 12th inning.

With the win, Fargo-Moorhead improves to 26-48 while winning their third straight game. Fargo-Moorhead began the season 1-13 in games decided by one run. In their last eight one-run contests the team is 7-1 in those games. Gary Southshore drops to 33-41 with the loss.

The two teams will return tomorrow night for game two of three with the American Association strikeouts leader Brandon Mann (3-8, 4.72 ERA) taking the hill being countered by Chuck Fontana (3-3, 2.77 ERA) for Gary Southshore. First pitch is set for 7:02 p.m. with a 6:40 pre-game show as Jack Michaels and Scott Miller will be on the call.

NOTES: Drew Muren went 3-for-5 and Luke Bailey went 2-for-4 on Tuesday night. Both men extended their hitting streak to five games.

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