Goldeyes complete sweep of Canaries with daytime drubbing

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This article was published 19/05/2022 (1256 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Goldeyes had a wildly productive start to their Thursday.

A seven-run first inning sparked the ball club to a 10-1 victory over the Sioux Falls Canaries in a game at jam-packed Shaw Park that featured an 11:05 a.m. opening pitch.

Winnipeg’s bats were booming from the get-go, with Reggie Pruitt Jr. smashing a grand slam in the bottom of the first inning and Eric Rivera connecting on a solo shot in the second, as the Fish (4-2) completed a three-game sweep of the Canaries.

“It’s a step in the right direction with me on the hitting side of things,” said Pruitt Jr. “It was definitely a good feeling to get that (grand slam) off.”

It was a lot of baseball stuffed into 20 hours for the pair of American Association squads, who met in a double-header Wednesday night. Goldeyes hitting coach Amos Ramon said the raucous crowd definitely gave his team a much-needed boost.

“It was good to have that, especially with the last couple of days being rainy and fans not being able to come out because of the weather,” said Ramon. “It kind of got the guys going early.”

Indeed, Winnipeg had its bats going early, while the defence held strong throughout the contest.

Starting pitcher RJ Martinez had an impressive professional debut, giving up just two hits in six innings of work, while striking out three batters. The lefty out of Minot State University only signed with the Goldeyes on Wednesday.

“I personally love stuff like that,” said Pruitt Jr. “It probably opened up a whole new realm for (Martinez) on this team… that was awesome to see.”

Ramon said he and Martinez have a shared experience, jumping right from college to the professional ranks.

“I knew that feeling of excitement and a little bit of jitters, but he did an amazing job,” said Ramon.

Jhon Vargas and Jose Vasquez combined for eight strikeouts in three scoreless innings of relief.

“Our pitching has been phenomenal, I couldn’t ask them to do any more than they’ve done,” added Pruitt Jr.

Winnipeg tacked on two runs in the sixth inning, thanks to a base hit from third baseman Ian Sagdal and a wild pitch. The Fish outhit Sioux Falls 13-3.

The Goldeyes lost two of three to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks last weekend but rebounded with a crucial sweep of the Canaries.

“It meant the world for us, especially after Fargo. That series kind of left a bad taste in our mouths,” said Pruitt Jr. “We wanted to come back and get on the winning side of things.

“We just have to keep doing what we’re doing and keep the wheels rolling.”

Winnipeg now carries some momentum into a 10-game road trip, beginning Friday night in Oconomowoc, Wis., on the outskirts of Milwaukee, against the Lake Country DockHounds. History will be made as it’s the first home stand for expansion Lake Country.

gavin.axelrod@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: Gavin77axe