Gary, Ind. -- The Winnipeg Goldeyes' stay at the top of the Northern League standings lasted just one night after they dropped a 2-1 decision to the Gary SouthShore RailCats at U.S. Steel Yard on Thursday.
With the loss, Winnipeg (25-20) fell out of first place behind Gary (25-19) in front of 5,039 folks.
The RailCats got on the board first with an RBI single in the fifth. Later, Winnipeg's Jamar Hill hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Kevin West and knot it at 1-1.
But Gary loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, and brought home right-fielder Cristian Guerrero on a ground ball to seal the deal.
Goldeyes starter Zach Baldwin was solid through seven innings, giving up just six hits and striking out five, but it wasn't enough for the Fish to complete the series sweep of the RailCats.
Brian Beuning took the loss, falling to 3-3 on the season.
Streak snapped
Thursday's loss stopped the Goldeyes road winning streak at seven games. They hadn't dropped an out-of-town contest since falling 5-4 to the Joliet Jackhammers back on June 14. They came up two games short of the franchise record of nine consecutive wins on the road.
The RailCats also spoiled Winnipeg's chances at sweeping two straight series on the road for the first time since 2002. Winnipeg had taken four in a row from the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks on their last trip.
Another all-star
Demetrius Heath was added to the I-29 squad Thursday to fill in for players unable to take part in Tuesday's showcase. Heath went 12-for-16 in the set with Gary, and is hitting .316 on the year with 14 stolen bases.
The number of Goldeyes players taking part in the Northern League All-Star Game is now up to 11.
Throwback threads
Both the Goldeyes and RailCats donned authentic Negro League uniforms for Thursday night's game.
More than a dozen different teams were represented on the field with the jerseys, which have been travelling around to ballparks in various leagues across the United States this year.
Hurst has a home
Former Goldeyes slugger Jimmy Hurst has resurfaced in the Northern League.
Fargo-Moorhead announced the signing of the veteran outfielder on Wednesday, and he saw his first game action that night against the Kansas City T-Bones.
It's Hurst's third stop in the league in the past two seasons. He also suited up for the Schaumburg Flyers last year.
Up next
The Fish open up a three-game set tonight with the Joliet Jackhammers at Silver Cross Field, 7 p.m.
eric.mackenzie@freepress.mb.ca
PREVIOUS
