Goldeyes End Exhibition Skid, Down T-Bones, 6-4
KANSAS CITY, KS – The Winnipeg Goldeyes finished the exhibition portion of their schedule on Tuesday night with a 6-4 win over the Kansas City T-Bones.
The win snapped a three-game skid for the Goldeyes after winning their first three games of spring training, and gave the club a glimpse of what their opening day roster could possibly look like come Thursday night.
After a scoreless first, Dominic Ficociello led off with a double and it looked like it would go for naught, with T-Bones starting pitcher Eric Stout sitting down the next two Winnipeg hitters, but some patience at the plate would prove to be key, as Adrian Marin, Alex Perez, and Kevin Garcia would all be walked, forcing home Ficociello and giving the Goldeyes a 1-0 lead in the top of the second.
Willy Garcia doubled the Goldeyes lead, crushing a shot over the wall in right-center field with his first long ball of the spring, putting Winnipeg up 2-0 in the bottom of the third.
The T-Bones clawed their way back in the bottom of the third when Christian Correa doubled to lead off the inning and was moved to third on a Darnell Sweeney pop up. Next up, former big-leaguer Shawn O’Malley smashed a line drive down the right side to score Correa, cutting the lead to 2-1 after three innings.
Goldeyes starting pitcher Parker French found himself in a bit of trouble in the bottom of the fourth inning when the T-Bones loaded the bases with nobody out, but was able to force Roy Morales to hit into a double-play. A run would score, but French was able to minimize what could have been a multi-run inning. Correa would hit into an inning-ending pop fly to end the threat and the score remained even at two.
The tie game was short-lived as Wes Darvill opened up the top of the fifth with a ground-rule double and eventually stole third. Willy Garcia advanced to first after being hit by a pitch and Kevin Lachance had to pinch-run for Garcia who went to the dugout for some treatment. Lachance stole second and with runners on second and third, Ficociello connected on a grounder down the third base line that was gloved down by Darnell Sweeney who tossed out Ficociello at first, but Darvill crossed home to once again put the Goldeyes ahead at 3-2.
Before the inning was out Josh Romanski would drive home Lachance with an RBI single, putting Winnipeg up by two.
The T-Bones would get one back in the bottom of the fifth when Ramsey Romano – who was granted an exemption as a non-roster player for the Kansas City just before game time because of the amount of injuries the T-Bones have been battling, ripped a shot to left field off of French that cleared the fence, and the T-Bones were once again within one run.
After retiring the next two hitters, Rick Forney replaced French with newcomer Christian Torres, who was acquired on Monday from the Lincoln Saltdogs, and the left-hander looked solid, retiring all four hitters he faced on the night.
In the top of the seventh Adrian Marin drove home Lachance with the eventual game-winning run, putting the Goldeyes up 5-3. The run was the seventh time this spring that Lachance has crossed the plate, leading all Goldeyes in that category.
In the top of the eighth, Louis Touron singled before Wes Darvill picked up his second multi-base hit with an RBI triple to score Touron, and the Goldeyes went up 6-4. The T-Bones would add another run late, but it wasn’t enough as the Goldeyes finished their preseason with a 6-4 win.
The Goldeyes get the day off on Wednesday as they get set to open the 2019 season Thursday night in Grande Prairie against the Texas Airhogs. The four-game set can be heard locally on 93.7 FM CJNU and worldwide at www.cjnu.ca
The Goldeyes’ 2019 home opener is scheduled for Friday, May 24th versus the Kansas City T-Bones. 2019 season tickets, 10-game mini packs, and group tickets are on sale now. For more information, call the Goldeyes’ office at (204) 982-BASE, or visit the Goldeyes’ official website at www.goldeyes.com.
By Steve Schuster