LINCOLN, NE – T.J. Bennett homered for the third straight game but the Lincoln Saltdogs lost 5-4 to the Winnipeg Goldeyes Thursday night at Haymarket Park.
The victory gave the Goldeyes (31-40) the series win but Lincoln 32-37) won the season series 4-3. The Saltdogs are five games under .500 for the first time since the end of the 2015 season. It is the Saltdogs’ worst record under Manager Bobby Brown.
Saltdogs starter Austin Robichaux tossed his second consecutive quality start but took the loss after lasting 6.2 innings. Winnipeg’s Mitchell Lambson earned the win after he matched Robichaux throughout the game. Victor Capellan notched the save for the second straight night.
Winnipeg scored first in the third inning. Gavin Stupienski drew a walk and Matt McCann laid down a bunt to advance him. Third baseman Christian Ibarra’s throw barely pulled first baseman Dan Johnson’s foot off the base to let McCann reach safely. Two batters later, Reggie Abercrombie knocked in Stupienski with a sacrifice fly.
They added another run in the fourth. Grant Heyman singled and Dexter Kjerstad ripped a double to put runners and second and third. Then, Jordan Ebert tallied the team’s second sac fly to make it 2-0.
Abercrombie continued producing in the fifth. The league’s all-time leading hitter demolished a two-run homer to give the Fish a 4-0 lead.
The Satldogs offense broke its 13+ inning scoring drought in the fifth. Randolph Oduber started the frame with a single and Dashenko Ricardo drove him home with a double. Ricardo recorded his fourth three-hit game of the season on Thursday.
Lincoln continued the rally in the seventh. Ricardo reached base again to bring up Christian Ibarra. The third baseman belted his 12th homer of the season to draw the Saltdogs to within a run of the Goldeyes.
The two teams traded homers in the eighth. Josh Mazzola lifted a solo shot for Winnipeg while Bennett went opposite field with his long ball for the ‘Dogs.
Capellan retired the Saltdogs in order in the bottom of the ninth to register the save.
The Saltdogs host the Sioux Falls Canaries for a three-game series starting Friday night. First pitch is at 7:05 PM with coverage beginning at 6:35 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.