Gonzalez Gem Highlights Double-Header Split with Apollos
JACKSON, TN – The Winnipeg Goldeyes split a doubleheader with the Houston Apollos Saturday at The Ballpark at Jackson.
Winnipeg (15-19) won game one by a score of 6-1 before dropping the second game 15-11.
In the opening game Houston (6-30) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Breland Almadova drove in Blake Berry with a sacrifice fly to centre field.
The Goldeyes tied the score in the bottom of the inning as Kevin Lachance hit an infield single that brought Raul Navarro home.
Winnipeg took a 2-1 lead in the third inning when Max Murphy doubled to right field scoring Sonny Ulliana.
The Goldeyes’ rookie catcher Ulliana smacked a two-run double to right field in the bottom of the fourth inning to drive in Logan Hill and Wes Darvill to make the score 4-1 Goldeyes.
Winnipeg went ahead 6-1 in the fifth inning. Murphy scored on a throwing error before Logan Hill singled to centre field to score Kyle Martin.
Goldeyes starter Jorge Gonzalez (1-2) earned his first career victory, allowing one run on three hits over five innings. Gonzalez struck out three and walked two. Pierce Smith started and took the loss for Houston. He surrendered two runs on two hits in just two innings.
The Apollos struck first in the nightcap when Yeiler Peguero scored on a Mike Annone ground out in the top of the first inning.
Tyler Hill tied the game in the bottom of the inning with a lead off home run to left field before Houston took a 2-1 lead in the top of the second inning on a Jordan Pontious double down the left field line that brought Ian Yetsko home.
Winnipeg evened the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the second as Tyler Hill singled home Logan Hill.
Houston broke the game open in the fourth inning on an RBI single to centre field by Ramon Villa, a run-scoring double to right-centre field by Pontious, and a two-run single off the bat of Peguero that made the score 6-2 in favour of the Apollos.
The Goldeyes scored a run in the bottom of the fourth when Tyler Hill hit a sacrifice fly to right field that plated Darvill and cut the Houston lead to 6-3.
The Apollos added four more runs in the top of the fifth inning on a two-run home run to right-centre field by Yetsko, a bases-loaded walk to Hudson Bilodeau, and a sacrifice fly to left field by Peguero that made the score 10-3 in favour of Houston.
Winnipeg pulled to within two runs of the Apollos, scoring five times in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI double by Navarro and RBI singles by Logan Hill, Lachance, Tyler Hill, and Jay Gonzalez.
Houston however regained their seven-run lead in the top of the sixth inning when they scored five times on three consecutive two-out base hits. A pair of Goldeyes errors accounted for the final two runs of the inning and the Apollos led 15-8.
Darvill hit a two-run triple in the bottom of the inning to make the score Houston 15 Winnipeg 10.
Navarro singled off the left field fence in the bottom of the seventh inning to drive in the Goldeyes’ 11th run but was tagged out at second base to end the ballgame.
Andrew Click (1-0) earned the win in relief for Houston while Goldeyes starter Eduard Reyes (3-4) was saddled with the loss.
Winnipeg now makes the long trek north to Fargo, North Dakota where they will open a four-game series with the RedHawks Monday at 7:02 p.m. All the action can be heard locally on CJNU 93.7 FM and worldwide at www.cjnu.ca.
The Goldeyes will continue to monitor the reopening of the Canada/U.S. border and assess a potential return to Shaw Park in 2021.
In the coming weeks, Winnipeg Goldeyes staff will contact ticket holders with more information and appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding.
