LINCOLN, NE – The Lincoln Saltdogs tallied a season-low in hits but still managed to bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning in a 6-4 loss to the Winnipeg Goldeyes on Tuesday night.
After scoring 14 runs the night before, the Saltdogs (6-6) managed just five hits off five Goldeyes (7-4) pitchers led by starter Charle Rosario. Dashenko Ricardo lofted a ninth inning home run to extend the Lincoln’s home run streak to 10 straight games.
Winnipeg snatched the lead in the first inning. Grant Heyman doubled off Saltdogs starter Austin Robichaux and Reynaldo Rodriguez knocked him in for the first run of the game.
The Saltdogs responded in the next half inning. Chase Simpson started the frame with a well-placed double and two teammates drew walks to load the bases. Then, with two outs, Ricardo hit a ground ball through the middle of the infield and all three runners came around to score giving the Saltdogs the lead.
The next scoring came in the fourth. Winnipeg tied it up scoring two runs on three hits including RBIs from Kevin Garcia and Jordan Ebert.
The Goldeyes reclaimed the lead for good in the sixth. Reggie Abercrombie singled off Robichaux to start the inning and end the righty’s night. Abercrombie advanced on a wild pitch and a bunt before scoring on a sacrifice fly to break the tie.
They grabbed insurance runs in the next inning. Matt McCann walked against Saltdogs reliever Dimitri Kourtis. Then Heyman drilled a two-run homer to make it 6-3.
The Saltdogs were down to their final strike in the ninth before Ricardo knocked his first homer of the season over the left field wall. Christian Ibarra followed with a single to bring the tying run to the plate but Brant Whiting flew out to center to end the game.
Robichaux picked up the loss but pitched must better than his first outing. The Louisiana-native allowed four runs on eight hits and issued just one walk over five innings.
The two squads continue the four-game series on Wednesday. First pitch is at 7:00 PM with coverage beginning at 6:30 PM on ESPN 101.5 FM 1480 AM and 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.