The Calgary Vipers
return home from a seven
game road trip with a
6-1 record after beating
the Fargo-Moorhead
RedHawks 4-3 in eleven
innings at Newman
Outdoor Field in Fargo,
North Dakota. Five runs
were scored in the very
first inning by the two
teams but then the game
turned into a fantastic
pitcher's duel. That was
until the top of the
eleventh when catcher
Mitch Evans gave Calgary
the winning run on a
solo homerun.
Calgary scored right
away in the first inning
as Darryl Brinkley led
off with a double.
Nelson Castro was hit by
a pitch and then the red
hot Carlos Duncan drove
him in. Duncan finished
the seven game road trip
hitting .516 scoring
seven runs and driving
in five. Jason Colson
followed with his fifth
RBI and finally Evans
hit a sacrifice fly for
his sixth RBI of the
season to make it 3-0
Vipers.
It did not take long for
the RedHawks to respond
as for the third time in
four nights Joe Mathis
hit a homerun to lead
off the bottom of the
first. Later Jon Weber
doubled and was brought
home by a Richard Austin
single to cut the lead
to 3-2.
Fargo-Moorhead tied the
game in the fifth after
Brian Munhall singled,
stole second, moved to
third on a groundout,
and then scored on a
Kory Wayment sacrifice
fly. This was Vipers'
starter Phil Sobkow's
final inning going five
solid innings with great
command walking no one,
striking out three and
giving up three runs on
five hits.
Both teams then
went back and forth
threatening to score as
in the bottom of the
sixth the RedHawks would
put runners at second
and third with one out
but Calgary reliever
Ryan Olson struck out
Clint Johnston and got
Munhall to ground out to
end the threat.
It was now Calgary's
turn to try and take the
lead as in the eighth
they put runners at
first and second with
one out but
Fargo-Moorhead reliever
Jason Schutt got Colson
to strike out and Evans
to ground out to end the
inning.
Olson threw a fabulous
three innings for
Calgary giving up no
runs on only one hit
while striking out two
and not walking a
batter.
In the ninth the Vipers
put their leadoff man on
in Drew Miller but after
Shaun Ashman moved him
to second with a
sacrifice bunt, Jorge
Tang popped up and
Manabu Kuramochi
grounded out to leave
the game tied at 3.
The RedHawks had a
chance to win the
game in the bottom of
the tenth off Calgary's
third pitcher of the
game Geoff Freeborn.
Wayment singled and
stole second with one
out but Freeborn struck
out Mathis, and after an
intentional walk, got
Weber to pop up to
center to send the game
into the eleventh.
Freeborn picked up his
first win on the season
after throwing two
innings of shutout
baseball on just one hit
with one strikeout.
In that eleventh inning
Evans hammered his first
homerun of the season to
left field to give
Calgary the lead on his
second run batted in of
the game. Evans much
like Duncan is scorching
to start the season
hitting .379 with seven
runs batted in.
David Manning picked up
his second save of the
season coming in for the
bottom of the eleventh
and sitting down the
RedHawks in three
straight batters.
The Vipers now return
home to newly
refurbished Foothills
Stadium for their home
opener against the
Joliet Jackhammers
Friday, May 25th at 7:05
PM (MDT) when the Vipers
will celebrate the 100th
anniversary of
professional baseball in
Alberta. This is the
start of a seven game
home stand for Calgary
with weekend games
Saturday May 26th at
5:05 PM (MDT), and
Sunday May 27th at 1:35
PM (MDT). Tickets can be
ordered by phone at
277-BALL (2255). All
games can be heard live
online at www.am770chqr.com.
