FARGO, ND – The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (54-41) scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a scoreless tie and beat the Lincoln Saltdogs (57-37) 4-0 in front of 3,900 fans at Newman Outdoor Field on Wednesday.
The Saltdogs are 3.5 games ahead of Kansas City in the Central Division with five games remaining in the season.
Wednesday’s game was a pitcher’s duel. Seth Webster was brilliant for the Saltdogs. The sidewinder pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed just five hits. He didn’t walk a batter compared to five strikeouts.
Fargo-Moorhead’s Tyler Herron matched Webster. He went 7.1 innings and didn’t allow a run on eight hits. He struck out eight batters and also avoided any walks.
The Saltdogs had a chance to take the lead in the top of the eighth. Dashenko Ricardo started the inning with a single but Ivan Marin popped up the bunt in the next at bat. Brent Dean followed with a hit but Cesar Valera hit into a double play to end the inning.
The RedHawks scored all four runs in the bottom of the eighth. Relief pitcher J.R. Bunda walked former Lincoln player Trever Adams on a full count to start the frame. Then, K.D. Kang bunted down the third base line. Catcher Ricardo let the ball go expecting it to end up foul, but it didn’t. Two batters later, with the bases loaded and one out, Yhoxian Medina hit a slow grounder to the right side. Second baseman Valera threw home but didn’t get it there in time allowing the first run to score. The next batter, Chris Grayson, ripped a double to left-center field to clear the bases and make it 4-0.
The Saltdogs left six runners on base compared to Fargo-Moorhead’s four runners.
Lincoln can clinch a playoff berth by winning Thursday’s game. First pitch in the first game is at 12:30 PM with coverage beginning at 12:00 PM on ESPN 1480 and saltdogs.com.
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