LINCOLN, NE – Grant Heyman hit a three-run homer in the tenth inning and the Winnipeg Goldeyes outlasted the Lincoln Saltdogs 6-3 on Wednesday night.
The Saltdogs (32-36) summoned closer Jose Jose to try to preserve a 3-3 tie in the top of the 10th inning. The lefty induced a double play off the bat of Reggie Abercrombie to record the first two outs of the frame. Then, Josh Mazzola reached on an infield single to keep the inning alive. Next, Tucker Nathans hit a ground ball to second base. T.J. Bennett gloved it but his throw drew Dan Johnson’s foot off first base letting the runner reach. The next batter, Heyman, mashed a homer of the right field wall to give the Goldeyes (30-40) the 6-3 lead.
The Saltdogs claimed the first lead of the game. Christian Ibarra notched a single with one out in the first inning. Two batters later, Brandon Jacobs recorded a base hit to bring Bennett to the plate with two outs. The left-handed hitter launched a home run to left field to give the Saltdogs an early three-run lead.
Saltdogs starter Kyle Kinman struggled in the second inning. The lefty surrendered four straight hits to start the frame, including an RBI single to Jordan Ebert. Matt McCann batted in the second run of the inning with a ground ball to the left side to make it 3-2.
Kinman gave up just two runs over five innings of work. He impressively worked around 10 hits and limited Winnipeg’s runs scored. The defense made two double plays behind him and turned three over the course of the game.
Reliever Derek Gordon retired the Goldeyes in order in the sixth but gave up the lead in the seventh. Tyler Baker belted a solo homer past right-center field to even the score.
The Saltdogs offense stalled after the first inning. Winnipeg pitching, led by starter Alex Boshers, held Lincoln to five hits over the final nine innings. The ‘Dogs collected baserunners via five walks but stranded nine runners in the game.
Lincoln drops to 3-1 in extra innings games in 2018.
Austin Robichaux takes the mound for the Saltdogs in the rubber match on Thursday. First pitch is at 6:45 PM with coverage beginning at 6:15 PM on ESPN 101.5 FM 1480 AM and http://saltdogs.com/stream.
For more information on the Saltdogs, follow the team on Facebook and Twitter/Instagram @saltdogsball. For ticket information visit https://saltdogs.com/tickets/ or call (402) 474-2255.