WINNIPEG, MB – The Saltdogs (36-61) fell victim to Winnipeg’s (55-41) scorching hot offense as they dropped the series opener 12-4.
OF Kyle Battle drove in two runs with a solo homer in the fifth, his sixth of the season, and a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
INF Dalton Reeves posted a multi-hit performance with a double and a triple, he now has hits in five of his last six games.
C Max Hewitt recorded a three-hit night with a trio of singles and scoring one run.
The Saltdogs started slow and the Goldeyes took full advantage using the long ball scoring five runs in the first two frames.
In the fourth another three-run homer for the Goldeyes made the deficit seven. Lincoln would return with Battle’s homer in the top of the fifth.
Winnipeg hit their third three-run homer of the game in the sixth, and the onslaught would continue in the seventh with two more on an RBI single and a run scoring on a wild pitch.
Lincoln put together their lone multi-run inning in the eighth with INF Luke Roskam’s sacrifice fly driving in C Max Hewitt, and the Pita’s RBI double-scoring INF Dakota Conners.
Roskam would take the mound in the eighth and cause Winnipeg to go 1-2-3 for just the second time in the game.
In the ninth, Reeves would lead off the frame with a triple into left-center field and would score on Battle’s sacrifice fly but that would be it as Lincoln dropped the series opener.
The Saltdogs and Goldeyes square off in game two on Saturday night at 6:00 as Lincoln looks to even the series.
Catch every Saltdogs game home and away on KFOR FM 101.5/1240 AM or stream live for free on aabaseball.tv, new for the 2024 season.