Pheasants Stumble Against Lincoln
Published on June 1, 2011 under American Association (AA)
Sioux Falls Canaries News Release
SIOUX FALLS- Wednesday night's game between the Lincoln Saltdogs and Sioux Falls Pheasants held a decidedly different tone from the clubs' previous tangle.
Unfortunately for Sioux Falls, the outcome was the same.
Lincoln starter Tommy Palica had the Pheasants guessing all night as he outdueled Pheasants' starter Adam Cowart to give Lincoln a 4-1 victory at Sioux Falls Stadium.
The Pheasants mounted a rally in the ninth inning when Brandon Sing led off by launching an opposite-field home run to bring his season total to 10. But after a Mark Shorey single, Trevor Lawhorn grounded into a double play to clear the bases. Francisco Leandro lined out to end the game.
"We feel like it's just a couple games," said Reggie Abercrombie, who went hitless Wednesday. "But you can't take away from what [Palica] did today."
Palica (2-0) picked up the win, giving up four hits and striking out eight through eight innings. It was just his fifth professional start and second this season.
Despite taking the loss, Cowart (2-1) continued his hot start since joining the team May 19. After giving up a first-inning RBI single to Jon Nelson, Cowart retired 14 of the next 15 hitters.
"I thought Adam pitched great," said manager Steve Shirley. "He pitched well enough to win. We've got to start giving ourselves opportunities to win games."
The Pheasants' best opportunity came in the third, when Abercrombie was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Sioux Falls' hottest hitter Brandon Sing. But Sing hit a weak pop up caught behind third base to end the threat.
Cowart ran into trouble in the sixth, as Lincoln loaded the bases with nobody out. After a sacrifice fly to Nelson, Cowart induced Maikel Jova into a big inning-ending double play.
The damage control continued for Cowart in the seventh, when the Saltdogs put runners on first and third with nobody out. The right-hander gave up just one run in the inning after a double play scored Gavin Dickey.
"He's going to go out there and throw strikes," Abercrombie said. "Unfortunately we didn't get any runs for him."
Lincoln's Blake Gailen gave Sioux Falls more trouble Wednesday after his five-RBI night in the Saltdogs 20-5 win Tuesday. The center fielder went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two runs. Gailen has five extra-base hits in the series.
But Palica continued to fool Sioux Falls. The left-hander gave up just one hit after the first inning before Henry Contreras led off the eighth with a single.
Lincoln added an insurance run in the ninth to put the game out of reach. Lincoln had an opportunity to put a crooked number on the board, but Pheasants reliever Ryan Fleckenstein entered the game in a bases-loaded one-out jam and retired the next two Saltdogs to hold the score at 4-0.
The Pheasants have dropped two straight after a brief four-game winning streak. The club look to earn a series split as the take on Lincoln in the final game of the series at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday, June 2 at Sioux Falls Stadium. It is Thirsty Thursday. Domestic drafts are just $2 all night long.
American Association Stories from June 1, 2011
- AirHogs Get Past Rain, T-Bones for Eighth Straight Win - Grand Prairie AirHogs
- American Association Game Recaps - AA
- Wingnuts Win Again in Extras - Wichita Wingnuts
- Palica Carves Up Pheasants, 'Dogs Win 4-1 - Lincoln Saltdogs
- Just Another Typical Night in Amarillo, Saints Win 14-10 - St. Paul Saints
- American Association Game Recaps - AA
- American Association Record Seven Errors Sink Sox 14-10 Versus Saints - Amarillo ThunderHeads
- Pheasants Stumble Against Lincoln - Sioux Falls Canaries
- Rodriguez Tosses Eight-Inning Gem - Shreveport-Bossier Captains
- Sioux City Pushes Past RailCats - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- American Association Early Game Recap - AA
- Southpaw Williams Stellar in Goldeyes Debut - Winnipeg Goldeyes
- White Sox Great Carlos May to U. S. Steel Yard June 5 - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- Baldwin Moved to Inactive List - Winnipeg Goldeyes
- Forney Makes a Frenzy of Moves Before Today's Game - Winnipeg Goldeyes
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.
