Just One Run Needed for Fish to Win
August 10, 2011 - American Association (AA)
Winnipeg Goldeyes News Release
Luis Alen was the hero but he wasn't going to take the credit.
For the Winnipeg Goldeyes catcher, it was all about the pitching.
Alen hit a sacrifice fly with nobody out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Goldeyes a 1-0 victory over the Sioux Falls Pheasants in a thriller in front of 5,057 fans at Shaw Park on Tuesday night.
With the win, the Goldeyes improved to 48-33 and remained one game ahead of the St. Paul Saints in the race for first in the American Association's North Division. The Goldeyes now have two more wins this season than they had all of last year.
"We just need to keep winning and if we get this type of pitching we'll keep winning," said Alen who went one-for-four, but drove in his 42nd run of the season in the 11th. "Our pitchers are doing a great job now. They kept us in the game tonight. All of them did a great job."
Zach Baldwin started and pitched five innings of shutout baseball. Chad Benefield threw three shutout innings, allowing only one hit and striking out three. Aaron Cook pitched a scoreless inning and then Jamie Vermilyea allowed no hits over the final two innings and got the win.
The Goldeyes had the only real chance to score in the first 10 innings when newcomer Fehlandt Lentini tried to score from second on a base hit by Lou Ott. Lentini appeared to touch the plate with his hand on a hook slide around Sioux Falls catcher Henry Contrreras, but home plate umpire Ron Shewchuk called him out.
In the 11th, Wes Long led off with a single, Jon Weber walked, Lentini was walked intentionally and Alen delivered the sac fly to win it.
"I just wanted to be aggressive through the zone," Alen said. "He gave me a pitch I could handle and all I wanted to do was hit out of the infield."
Goldeyes closer Jamie Vermilyea (2-3, 1.91 ERA) was the winning pitcher. Sioux Falls reliever Matt Lizinger (0-1, 10.80 ERA) suffered the loss. Former Goldeye Barry Fowler pitched seven innings of four-hit shutout baseball for the Pheasants, but did not figure in the decision.
The Pheasants and Goldeyes play Game 3 of this important four-game series on Wednesday night at Shaw Park. Game time is 7:05 p.m. and can be heard live with Paul Edmonds on Sports Radio 1290 or seen live on Shaw TV with Scott Taylor, Jim Toth and Ken Wiebe.
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