After an amazing 12 inning marathon with the St. Paul Saints, The Winnipeg Goldeyes finally won the game with a five-run 12th inning that gave the Goldeyes a 10-6 win. The victory was the team’s 60th of the season, setting a team record.

The victory was not an easy one by any stretch of the imagination. The Goldeyes scored three runs in the first, and got one more in the top of the sixth to give the team a 4-1 lead. However, the vaunted Winnipeg bullpen failed to hold the lead, giving up a run in the bottom of the ninth that tied the game, and after Winnipeg took the lead again in the top of the 10th, the bullpen was unable to hold that lead again.

With the bullpen having a rare off-night for the North Division Champions, it was time for the team’s bats to come to life and deliver a big victory for the team, and that is what they did. Winnipeg plated five in the 12th, led by Luis Alen’s RBI double that put the Goldeyes back in front to stay. Alen had a huge night for Winnipeg, going 4-4 with two runs and an RBI. He not only had a big day at the plate, but made three huge plays in the field as well, two times pouncing out from behind home plate to thwart sacrifice attempts, and the other when he blocked home plate and tagged out Tyler Peterson to end a threat in the sixth.

While Alen was having a spectacular game, so was third baseman Jake Blackwood. The Goldeyes’ hitter also chipped in two RBI in the decisive 12th inning rally, and finished the day 3-7 with two runs and three RBI.

The five runs scored wound up being just what the Goldeyes needed. St. Paul mounted a rally in the bottom half of the inning, loading the bases with none out, but Barry Fowler retired the next three batters in order to end the game and earn his first victory of the year.

The win was a landmark victory for the team. The 60 victories not only set a team record but continues the hot streak that Goldeyes are on. They are 9-1 in their last ten games, and just recently won eight-games in a row. The Goldeyes are locked into the second place in the American Association playoffs, and will have home-field advantage against any playoff opponent other than Wichita.

While the struggles of the bullpen would concern most teams, the Goldeyes have incredible confidence in their staff and with good reason. They go five deep with relievers that can close out opponents; tonight was a just a rare aberration. What the team can take solace in is the fact that the hitters continually came to life and hit with two outs in an inning tonight. In the sixth Blackwood’s two-out hit scored Alen to make it 4-1. In the 12th the Goldeyes had one on with two outs before adding four more runs to the inning. While an error kept the rally alive, the team took advantage of opportunities they had, and this will make them very difficult to play against in the playoffs.

Sixty wins is a very impressive number of victories, but the Winnipeg Goldeyes have bigger aspirations. They will continue to add to that total to stay sharp, with the goal of grabbing six more victories come playoff time, on their way to the championship.

By Robert Pannier
Senior Baseball Editor
Member of the IBWAA