June 15: Goldeyes Move To 20-6 Following Double-Header Split In Joliet

Gary SouthShore RailCats manager Greg Tagert has this thing about Northern League double-headers. He figures there are days when his counterpart, Goldeyes manager Rick Forney, doesn’t like them either.

“I just don’t like seven-inning games,” Tagert said last week, referring to the fact that in the Northern League, all double-header games are seven innings. “I don’t think the Goldeyes would like them much either. We’re both teams that score in the eighth and ninth innings to win games. I know, in our case, our mindset is to play the game hard, right through to the ninth inning. A seven-inning game shouldn’t change the way you play, but mentally, I think it does.

“In a seven-inning game, if you fall behind, it’s just that much harder to come back and win.”

True. It’s a full two innings harder. And on Sunday in Joliet, the Goldeyes found out that in Game 1, getting ahead worked to their advantage and in Game 2, falling behind worked to Joliet’s advantage.

The Northern League’s first-place Goldeyes spilt a pair of games at Silver Cross Field. In Game 1, the Fish jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead and then rode Ace Walker’s arm to a 3-0 victory. In Game 2, the Goldeyes fell behind 2-0 and couldn’t solve JackHammers starter Rory Shortell, losing 2-0 to fall to 20-6 on the season.

While Forney told reporters the team lost Game 2 because of a pair of errors in the second inning, it sure didn’t help that the Fish did nothing offensively. With only seven innings to work with, if you can’t get deep into the opponent’s bullpen, chances of beating one of the league’s top starters becomes extremely difficult.

On the upside, Walker pitched brilliantly in Game 1 as he went the distance, scattered seven hits to improve to 4-0 on the season.

The loss in Game 2 put a halt to Winnipeg’s eight-game winning streak. It also left the Fish 10-3 on the road this season and 10-3 at home. The Goldeyes lead second-place Schaumburg by five-and-a-half games.

Winnipeg completes its three-game series in Joliet tonight and then faces the RedHawks in Fargo tomorrow.