Goldeyes bats explode, wallop RIverHawks

They say there is nothing better than a rest. For Juan Diaz, one night off almost made him a brand new man.

Diaz, the Goldeyes’ 36-year-old designated hitter, went four-for-four with a walk, a three-run homer, four RBI and three runs scored as he led the Goldeyes to an impressive 13-5 victory over the visiting Rockford RiverHawks at Canwest Park on Sunday afternoon.

Diaz had three singles and his league-leading 11th homer of the year as he led the Fish on a 16-hit assault of the RiverHawks. He also drove in his 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st runs and raised his batting average to .278.

“It was a good game for me after a day off,” said Diaz, the Shaw TV player of the game. “At 36-years-old I need a day off every now and then. We did the same thing last year. Sometimes I need to get things straightened out in my head and that night off did clear my head.”

With the win, the Goldeyes improved to 21-15 and won their third straight game. The Fish moved past Kansas City into second place in the Northern League, a-game-and-a-half back of first-place Fargo. The Goldeyes also won the four-game series from Rockford 3-1.

“It’s good to play at home,” Diaz said. “It’s nice to play in front of our big home crowds and in our ballpark. We all feel good in here.”

The Goldeyes are now 13-9 at Canwest Park this season and on Sunday afternoon, every hitter in the lineup was comfortable enough to pound out at least one hit. Rookie Price Kendall went three-for-five with two runs scored and two RBI and raised his batting average to .357; Vince Harrison continued his hot hitting by going two-for-four with a run scored and two driven in; Justin Justice went just one-for-four, but that “one” was a three-run homer; and Luis Alen went two-for-five with two runs scored and a RBI on a solo homer in the seventh.

Starter Chris Salamida went six complete innings and got the win. Zach Baldwin pitched three strong innings in relief and earned his third save of the year.

“We played a very good game,” Diaz said. “It was good for us to win three in a row before going out onto the road.”

The Fish will open a 10-day road trip with a game Monday night against Lake County in Kenosha, Wis. Ace Walker (2-2, 3.77 ERA) will get the start.