Winnipeg Salvages Series Finale

June 20, 2012 - American Association (AA)
Sioux Falls Canaries News Release

SIOUX FALLS - The Winnipeg Goldeyes rode the arm of Matthew Rusch to a 4-1 victory Wednesday afternoon, snapping the Pheasants' five-game winning streak at Sioux Falls Stadium.

Rusch (4-1) tossed eight-plus innings, holding a red-hot Pheasants' lineup to one run on eight scattered hits.

Despite taking the loss, Mitchell Clegg (2-2) delivered a quality start for the Pheasants, his fifth in a row. The southpaw held Winnipeg to two runs in six innings on eight hits. He walked two and struck out one. Clegg has issued five consecutive quality starts.

Rusch, who lowered his ERA to 1.97, saw multiple men on base just once and struck out seven.

Winnipeg (20-12) plated the first run of the game on Jon Weber's two-out, RBI single. They added another tally with Luis Allen's leadoff home run in the fourth inning, making it 2-0.

The Pheasants (17-15) responded with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jonny Kaplan led the inning off with a double. A groundball single by Jared Bolden skipped over the second baseman's head to bring in Kaplan from third base, closing the gap to 2-1.

Kaplan finished the day 2-for-4 with two doubles.

Yurendell de Caster gave Winnipeg insurance with two-out, RBI double in the seventh inning. In the ninth inning, Chris Roberson smashed a homerun over the right field wall for the final Goldeyes runs.

The Pheasants attempted a rally in the bottom of the ninth inning when Cesar Nicolas and Cristian Guerrero led off the frame with back-to-back singles off Rusch, bringing the tying run to the plate. But relievers Zach Baldwin and Dexter Carter finished the Pheasants with on a flyout and a double play. Carter earned his first professional save.

Nicolas' single extended a season-high, 14-game hitting streak, one shy of his career best. It was his only hit of the game.

The Pheasants are in second place, three games behind the Goldeyes in the North Division.

After an off day on Thursday, the Pheasants travel to St. Paul for a three-game weekend series that begins at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, June 22, at Midway Stadium. The game will be broadcast on Sioux Falls Sports Radio 1230-AM KWSN and www.kwsn.com.

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