LINCOLN, NE – The Saltdogs (19-32) used the home run ball to power past the first-place Sioux Falls Canaries (30-19) winning the series opener 4-2.
INF Spencer Henson went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double. Over his last five games, Henson is batting .533 with five RBIs.
INF Drew Devine also put together a two-hit night including his second homer of the season with a solo shot in the fifth inning.
RHP Foster Pace secured his third quality start of the year throwing 6.0 shutout innings giving up three hits, three walks, and striking out six batters.
Game one between Lincoln and Sioux Falls started out slow offensively due to dominant starting pitching from both sides in the first three frames.
However, the scoring opened in the bottom of the fourth, with Henson’s two-run homer down the line in left field, his sixth of the season.
The very next inning Devine left the yard into straight-away left field, his second home run of the year, to extend the Lincoln lead to 3-0.
To the eighth, the Canaries made it a one-run game with a two-run homer from Jabari Henry into right field. In the bottom half though, INF Luke Roskam hit his fifth long ball of the season, a solo homer, to bring the lead back up to two.
RHP Dan Kubiuk shut the door with a four-out save as he took over with two outs in the eighth inning. It is his 10th save of the year.
The Saltdogs set up a chance to win their first home series of the year as game two is scheduled for 6:05 Saturday night against the Sioux Falls Canaries at Haymarket Park.
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.