LINCOLN — J.P. Ramirez and Nick Van Stratten led the way as the Sioux Falls Canaries (28-38) beat up the Saltdogs (35-31) 11-3 in front of 5,157 fans at Haymarket Park Friday night.
Ramirez went 5-for-5 with three runs and a RBI, the league's hit leader Van Stratten padded his total with a 4-for-6 effort as the Canaries totaled 20 hits, matching a season-high allowed by the 'Dogs this year.
Sioux Falls scored four runs in the second, and four more in the third, sparked by a Tim Pahuta solo home run, and held a 9-0 lead by the middle of the fourth.
The Saltdogs tallied their runs on a Ian Gac three-run opposite field homer in the bottom of the fourth, his 10th of the season. The 27-year old slugger from Seattle has now driven in 31 runs in 29 games.
Pete Parise (7-5) allowed nine runs on 13 hits to suffer the loss. Kyle Ruwe (8-5) pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on five hits to earn the victory.
Curt Smith and Brian Embery each booked multi-hit nights for the Saltdogs.
The clubs are back at it Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. for game two of a three-game series. Radio coverage begins at 6:35 p.m. on KFOR 1240.