Goldeyes getting it going

Noah Marcelo is truly leading by example.

The speedy Winnipeg Goldeyes centrefielder — hitting out of the leadoff spot — has been cleaning up at the plate early and often in this American Association campaign.

He did it again on Monday night at Blue Cross Park.

Marcelo’s three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh brought his team all the way back from an early 3-0 deficit and proved to be the difference in a 6-3 victory over the Sioux Falls Canaries to begin a season-long 10-game homestand.

The 25-year-old from California now leads the Fish with five long balls and 18 RBIs through 16 games, which has him among the league leaders.

His .313 average is third-best on the club.

“When we’re rolling, we’re rolling,” Marcelo told the Free Press as his team improved to 8-8 following a rough 0-4 start.

Sioux Falls drops to 10-7.

What’s been working so well for a guy who has spent his entire professional career in independent baseball but might soon have MLB organizations taking a look if he keeps this up?

“Just trusting my off-season work. Honing in more on the approach and the swing, more than anything,” said Marcelo, who is in his first year with Winnipeg after three seasons with the Boise Hawks of the Pioneer League.

“I had a bit of a tough spring training, but I trusted that I was swinging at the right pitches. Swing at the pitches in the zone, leave the ones outside the zone, as simple as that sounds.”

Not to be overlooked on Monday was the all-around effort from left-fielder Adam Hall.

On the defensive side, Hall made a spectacular leaping catch in the top of the third inning to steal what would have been a two-run home run for Sioux Falls and increased their lead to 5-0.

“I can’t say I’ve made too many of those,” said Hall, who played for Canada at the World Baseball Classic earlier this year.

“I was just tracking that ball. I didn’t think it was going to come anywhere close, but it was nice and high and a lot of time to get underneath it. I saw it well the whole way so I thought I was going to get it. I’m glad I did.”

That may well have been the turning point of the game.

Hall got the offence going in the fifth with a lead-off single, coming in to score on an RBI double by first baseman T.J. Schofield-Sam.

Winnipeg added another in the sixth, with Marcelo belting a double to start the frame and scoring on a fielder’s choice by right-fielder Roby Enriquez.

“(The catch) was huge. Three’s manageable. Five starts to get away from you a little bit,” said Marcelo.

“Adam is so athletic, he’s a great defender and can play all positions, really. He just did his thing out there.”

The decisive seventh began with a single from Hall, who later came in to score on a sacrifice fly by second baseman Keshawn Lynch to tie the game. A walk and hit batter set the table for Marcelo’s big swing.

“It’s fun to watch,” said Hall, who leads the Goldeyes with a .353 average. “He’s batting in the lead-off spot, but our whole lineup gets on base pretty consistently. You want to give your best hitter the most at-bats possible, and I think that’s kind of our philosophy with that. So far it’s worked out pretty well.”

Goldeyes ace Landen Bourassa was on the mound Monday but took a no-decision.

The righty from Alberta didn’t have his best command, giving up three runs on six hits over five innings, including a pair of walks and a hit batter, but his teammates bailed him out.

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Bourassa is still searching for his first win through four starts, despite a respectable ERA of 4.13.

“He’s about as steady as they come. You know what you’re getting,” said Hall. “Whenever he’s on the mound, even if we might not be giving him the win, we’re pretty confident we have a good shot of winning that game.”

Winnipeg’s bullpen came up big, with Weston Lombard, Eli Saul and Derrick Cherry combining for four scoreless innings, giving up one hit.

A four-game series with Sioux Falls wraps Thursday and will be followed by three-game visits from Sioux City (Friday through Sunday) and Cleburne (next Tuesday through Thursday).

www.winnipegfreepress.com/mikemcintyre

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.