SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota – Luke Roskam had two homers and six RBIs, and the ‘Dogs rolled to an 16-5 win over the Sioux Falls Canaries in the series opener Tuesday night at Sioux Fall Stadium
The ‘Dogs (44-50) opened the scoring with Roskam’s three-run homer in the 2nd inning. After Justin Byrd added another with an RBI single, Rayder Ascanio hit a three-run homer to cap off a seven-run inning.
The Canaries (31-63) scored the next three runs. Connor Blair’s sacrifice fly made it 7-1 in the bottom of the 2nd, and Gavin LaValley’s two-run single made it 7-3 in the 3rd.
Lincoln scored three more runs on three straight RBI doubles in the 4th inning. Byrd, Ascanio and Ryan Long each added a run and the ‘Dogs led 10-3.
The Canaries got two back in the 4th, when John Nester hit an RBI single and Ozzie Martinez hit an RBI double.
Lincoln responded with two more in the 6th. Justin Byrd hit a solo homer and Jason Rogers added an RBI single, and the ‘Dogs led 12-5. Byrd then made it 13-5 with an RBI groundout in the 7th before Roskam’s second three-run homer made it 16-5 in the 8th.
The ‘Dogs scored a season-high 16 runs and Roskam’s six RBIs were the most for a Saltdog this season.
Garett Delano improved to 7-3, allowing four earned runs across six innings. R.J. Fruere pitched two scoreless innings and Steffon Moore faced the minimum in the 9th inning.
Sioux City beat the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 2-0, so the ‘Dogs are still three games back of the Explorers with six games remaining.
Game two of the series is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Wednesday. Pregame coverage begins at 6:35 p.m. on ESPN Lincoln 101.5 FM/1480 AM.
The Saltdogs are playing their 21st season in Lincoln! Visit saltdogs.com and follow us @saltdogsball on all social media for information regarding tickets and promotions all season long.