AA Winnipeg Goldeyes

Salamida Deals in Return to the Mound

July 27, 2013 - American Association (AA)
Winnipeg Goldeyes News Release


Chris Salamida returned to the mound at Shaw Park and gave the Goldeyes the start of a champion.

One of the stars of Winnipeg's 6-0 playoff run, a run that took the Fish all the way to the 2012 American Association championship, Salamida came out of retirement last night and pitched six solid innings, allowing just one run on six scattered hits, as the Goldeyes drilled the Trois-Rivieres Aigles 8-3.

With the win, in front of 6,154 spectators at Shaw Park, the Goldeyes evened the four-game series with Trois-Rivieres at a win apiece and improved to 32-32 on the season, still third in the American Association's North Division. The Fish are now 3-2 after the first five games of this 11-game homestand.

"Coming into the game, I had such an adrenalin rush. It was awesome," said Salamida, who has been pitching and playing centerfield with the Albany Athletics in the Albany Twilight League, a men's amateur loop in upstate New York. "I could compare it to my first pro start in the Astros organization in Troy, N.Y., just a few miles from my house. After the first pitch, though, I settled down. I was out there having fun, staying loose and staying focused. I was enjoying myself."

Trois-Rivieres actually opened the scoring with a run in the top of the fifth, but the Goldeyes answered with three in the bottom of the inning. Casey Haerther led off with a single, Josh Mazzola got credit for an infield hit and then Fehlandt Lentini laid down a sacrifice bunt. However, Aigles starter Jeff Shields got off the mound quickly and turned to throw to third, missed his target and sent a bullet into the Goldeyes bullpen. Haerther and Mazzola scored and Lentini wound up on third. Luis Alen singled home Lentini and Winnipeg had a 3-1 lead.

In the sixth, the Fish stretched the advantage to 4-1, as Ray Sadler walked, Ryan Scoma singled and Sadler came home on a base hit by Haerther.

In the seventh, Alen led off with a single, stole second and scored on a single by Kevin Moesquit. Then Ray Sadler stood up and blasted his 14th home run of the year, a two-run bomb, to give Winnipeg a 7-1 lead.

In the eighth, with Josh Mazzola at third, Fehlandt Lentini singled home Winnipeg's eighth and final run.

Salamida (1-0, 1.50 ERA) picked up the win for Winnipeg, while Shields (0-3, 4.19 ERA) suffered the loss. Brendan Lafferty pitched a scoreless seventh, Chris Kissock cruised through the eighth and Patrick Keating gave up a two-run homer to Jon Smith in the ninth. It was Smith's 14th bomb of the season.

Haerther and Alen led the Goldeyes offense, an offense that pounded out 13 hits. Haerther went three-for-four with a run scored and an RBI, while Alen also went three-for-four with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base.

The Goldeyes and Aigles will meet in Game 3 of this four-game series on Sunday, 1:30 p.m. at Shaw Park. Matt Rusch (5-3, 4.47) will get the start for Winnipeg, while Garrett Bullock (4-3, 2.83 ERA) will take to the mound for Trois Rivieres.

Tickets for all Goldeyes games are available through Ticketmaster by calling 1-855-GOLDEYE, clicking on Ticketmaster.ca or visiting any Ticketmaster location, including the Shaw Park box office.

Check out the Winnipeg Goldeyes Statistics



American Association Stories from July 27, 2013


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