The Winnipeg Goldeyes slugged their way to a 9-3 defeat over the Calgary Vipers at CanWest Global Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Goldeyes hammered three homeruns evening up the three game series against the Vipers at one win a piece. Calgary struggled with runners on base leaving 12 stranded.
Former Viper Fehlandt Lentini led off the bottom of the first with a solo homerun to give the Goldeyes the lead. Four singles by Cameron Coughlan, Jimmy Hurst, Walter Young, and Antoin Gray followed with the first three batters also stealing a base and the final three singles all being of the RBI variety to stretch the lead to 4-0.
More muscle was flexed in the bottom of the second when Hurst and Young went back to back with solo homeruns.
With the score 6-0 Calgary scored their first runs in the fourth inning when Drew Miller drove in Mitch Evans, after he had walked, with a triple. Kevin Price followed with a walk and Jorge Tang scored Miller on a squeeze bunt single.
The Goldeyes grabbed a run back in the fifth when Chris Latham was hit by a pitch and moved to third on a Brent Metheny single. Luis Alen followed with a sacrifice fly ball to make it 7-2.
The Snakes closed the lead to four in the sixth when Manabu Kuramochi walked and Darryl Brinkley singled. The runners moved to second and third on a Nelson Castro groundout and Kuramochi then scored on a wild pitch.
Winnipeg added some insurance in the bottom of the eighth as Alen walked, Lentini singled, Hurst walked to load the bases, and Young with two outs drove home two with a single to right field pushing the lead to 9-3.
Randy Waite had a great outing from the bullpen going two and a third innings facing the minimum seven batters and striking out two of them.
Brinkley extended his hitting streak to 15 games and Miller extended his on base streak to 16 games.
The Vipers are now 8-8 and tied with the Goldeyes for second place in the North Division, two games behind first place Fargo-Moorhead.
This series concludes Sunday with the rubber match starting at 12:30 PM (MDT) and it can be heard live online at www.am770chqr.com.
Calgary returns home Tuesday to start a nine game home stand. The Edmonton Cracker-Cats are in town Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with all games starting at 7:05 PM (MDT). Tickets can be ordered by phone at 277-BALL (2255).