LINCOLN – The Saltdogs couldn’t muster another late comeback and lost 5-2 to the Winnipeg Goldeyes on Wednesday night at Haymarket Park.
Kevin McGovern earned the win for the Goldeyes (18-14) following an outstanding outing. He gave up just two runs in 7.1 innings while striking out seven batters.
Derek Gordon was charged with the loss for the Saltdogs (21-11) despite notching his second quality start of the season. He went seven innings and allowed two runs on only four hits. The Lincoln-native tied his season high with seven strikeouts.
Winnipeg grabbed the lead in the first inning and didn’t look back. Andrew Sohn started the game with a double and David Rohm followed with a walk. After a strikeout, Reggie Abercrombie singled to score Sohn.
The Goldeyes added to their early lead in the top of the third inning. Sohn started it with a walk and Josh Romanski tallied a single two batters later. Sohn moved to third base on a fielder’s choice and scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
The Saltdogs scored their first run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Cesar Valera led off with a single and moved to third base on a Brandon Jacobs double. After a shallow flyout, Dashenko Ricardo lifted a deep fly ball that allowed Valera to tag up and make it 2-1.
Winnipeg added an insurance run in the top of the eighth inning. Romanski singled and moved to second on a wild pitch by reliever J.R. Bunda. Then, Shawn Pleffner and David Bergin were hit by pitches in back-to-back at bats to load the bases for Wes Darvill. The lefty hit a grounder to the shortstop who had nowhere to throw the ball as second base was not covered, allowing Romanski to score.
Lincoln started a comeback in the bottom of the eighth. Matty Johnson doubled and scored on a Valera single but the Saltdogs’ run production stopped there.
The Goldeyes added two more runs on a Pleffner base hit to reach the final score of 5-2. The Saltdogs got one baserunner in the ninth but Goldeyes closer Ryan Chaffee shut the door for his tenth save.
Despite the loss, the Saltdogs won the series and stay in first place in the American Association Central Division. Brandon Jacobs was 3-4 and extended his on base streak to 22 games. Curt Smith was 2-4 and built his hit streak to 14 games.
The Saltdogs travel south for a four-game series against the Texas AirHogs. First pitch is at 7:05 PM with coverage beginning at 6:35 PM on ESPN 1480 and saltdogs.com.
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