AA Sioux Falls Canaries

Pheasants lose series opener

Published on June 10, 2011 under American Association (AA)
Sioux Falls Canaries News Release


SIOUX FALLS- The fans at Sioux Falls Stadium excited to see Friday night fireworks had quite the wait.

In a game that lasted nearly four hours, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks defeated the Sioux Falls Pheasants 11-6 Friday at Sioux Falls Stadium.

The RedHawks' offense banged out 11 runs on 13 hits, scoring eight runs in the first five innings. Eight Fargo-Moorhead starters had hits in the game.

The Pheasants' bullpen kept them in it after starter Chris Salberg's early exit. But Jason James' eighth-inning, two-run blast off of reliever Sam Walls put the game out of reach.

"[Salberg] didn't pitch very well at all tonight," said manager Steve Shirley. "It seemed like he was throwing from behind in counts and started to overthrow. It just snowballed."

The RedHawks put Sioux Falls in a hole early. Jim Fasano doubled to left center to plate the first two runs and then scored on an error by third baseman Trevor Lawhorn. Nic Jackson's RBI single made it a 4-0 game before Gus Milner threw out Zach Penprase trying to advance to third on the play.

Fargo-Moorhead starter Alex Kaminsky walked three of the first four batters he faced in the bottom half of the second to score the first Sioux Falls run. But Kaminsky retired the next three hitters to hold the Pheasants to just one run.

The RedHawks went back to work in the third. Phil Britton laced a ball that landed just out of reach of a diving Francisco Leandro's glove in left, scoring two more.

The Pheasants battled back in the bottom half, loading the bases for the second straight inning. Leandro bounced one through the infield to score two, then Reggie Abercrombie scampered home on a wild pitch from Kaminsky. Trevor Lawhorn's single brought home Leandro, cutting the RedHawks lead to 6-5. Leandro and Lawhorn each had two RBI in the game.

But Salberg (1-5) continued to struggle with control. His bases-loaded walk to Jason James would be his last batter, finishing the night with seven runs on six hits while issuing eight walks through three innings pitched. The eight walks tied a league record.

Reliever Dan McDaniel entered and shut the door, inducing a pop-out from Britton and an inning-ending double play from Fasano to limit the damage to just one run.

"[McDaniel] pitched well tonight," Shirley said. "I think the guys are doing well out there in the bullpen."

In the sixth with Fargo leading 8-5, Kevin Carby reached second base on a dropped-third strike that evaded the catcher Britton. Milner followed with a line shot to left field that scored Carby and cut the lead to two.

Fargo-Moorhead reliever Matt Moosey (1-0) recorded the win.

The loss drops the Pheasants to 11-16 on the season.

The clubs take the field in the second game of the series at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, at Sioux Falls Stadium. It is Grand Slam Saturday. The first 500 fans in the park receive a free Pheasants bat courtesy of Schoeneman's Lumber. Plus, one lucky fan will have the chance to win a brand new 2011 Ford Fusion SE, courtesy of Sioux Falls Ford.

Check out the Sioux Falls Canaries Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Association Stories from June 10, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central