SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota – RF Connor Panas went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, but the Saltdogs lost 7-3 to the Sioux Falls Canaries at Sioux Falls Stadium on Friday night.
Panas opened the scoring with a solo homer in the 1st, but the Canaries (47-45) handed Lincoln (42-49) a sixth straight loss after a five-run 6th inning that included a grand slam from 1B Mike Hart that gave Sioux Falls a 6-1 lead.
SS Drew Devine went 4-for-5 with three doubles, Lincoln’s first three-double game of the year, but the ‘Dogs stranded 10 runners on base while Sioux Falls left two.
RHP Josh Roeder fell to 3-12 after allowing six runs in six innings. Roeder had allowed just one run through five before he hit DH Jabari Henry with the bases loaded and the game tied 1-1 in the 6th, and Hart later hit the decisive grand slam.
Lincoln RHP Wyatt Sparks made his Saltdogs debut, tossing two innings with five strikeouts and allowing one run on an RBI double from SS Jordan Barth in the 7th inning.
The ‘Dogs got within three on a two-out, two-run double from 1B Jason Rogers in the top of the 7th.
Lincoln now sits two games back of Fargo-Moorhead with nine games to play – with the RedHawks holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. The ‘Dogs are four-and-a-half games back of third-place Sioux Falls, while the Canaries close in on their first playoff berth in a full season since 2010.
The series continues Saturday night. First pitch is scheduled for 5:35 p.m. and pregame coverage begins at 5:05 on KFOR FM 101.5/1240 AM.
The Saltdogs are back in 2023! Single-game tickets for all games are on sale now. Reserve your seats now by calling 402-474-BALL (2255) or order on-line at Saltdogs.com.