June 29: Goldeyes Rally in Thrilling Fashion to Earn Twinbill Split

Wes Long called it a huge win.

After dropping Game 1 of a Sunday double-header to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, the Winnipeg Goldeyes pulled off another heroic final at-bat for a 7-6 win in Game 2.

The hosts jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks in no small way to a two-run homer off the bat of white-hot Dee Brown. Fargo bounced back with four in the top of the fifth to take a 4-3 lead, but Winnipeg scored two more in the bottom half – the highlight was a 400-foot-plus home run by Long – and the Goldeyes took their one-run lead into the top of the seventh.

However, after Zach Penprase hit a two-run homer off Matt Davis to give the RedHawks a 6-5 advantage, the Goldeyes rallied for two in the bottom of the inning to win an extremely important early-season game.

“We really needed that win, it was huge,” said Long, the player of the game in Game 2 both on the radio and TV broadcasts. “After getting whipped in the first game, we had to bounce back as a team and we got it done in our final at-bat. That was a really important victory for us. And it said a lot about the people on this ball club.”

The seventh inning was about as thrilling as baseball gets.

Speedy Adam Frost, pinch-hitting for catcher Jeff DeSmidt, coaxed a leadoff walk out of reliever Elvys Quezada. Long, who went three-for-four with a run batted in and two runs scored, then singled to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Josh Asanovich dropped a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Frost and Long up 90 feet and then Quezada walked Kevin West intentionally to load the bases.

Fargo manager Doug Simunic then yanked Quezada and called on young Billy Weitzman to put out the fire, but as he faced slugger Juan Diaz, he unleashed a wild pitch that scored Frost from third on a close play at home plate.

That tied the game and put Diaz in a position to be the hero. And Big Juan did not disappoint, drilling a single to left, past the drawn-in infield as Winnipeg recorded an important 7-6 win.

With the victory, the Goldeyes improved to 25-12 on the season. On Sunday, they started the day six games ahead of the streaking RedHawks and with that important final at-bat, remained six games ahead at day’s end. The Fish are now 8-2 against arch-rival Fargo this season.

“It’s always tough having two days of rainouts and then playing a double-header,” Long said. “I mean on Friday and Saturday we had cabin fever. We were bouncing around the clubhouse like a bunch of idiots. Finally we got to play some baseball and it was great to get a split.

“It never comes easy against those guys (Fargo). They have a great team. It was a huge win for us.”