FARGO, N.D. – The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks extended their winning streak to four games with a 6-3 win against the Cleburne Railroaders on Sunday afternoon. With 2,193 fans in attendance at Newman Outdoor Field, the ‘Hawks won their fifth straight against the Railroaders this season and secured their second series sweep of the season. Every F-M batter reached base at least once in the game and seven players had at least one hit.

Bret Helton got the win after a solid five-inning outing Sunday. He allowed three runs on six hits and three walks, but struck out five batters and consistently got out of jams to strand runners on base. Perhaps his best moment came in the fourth inning, when Helton faced bases loaded with one out and a 3-0 count. Helton clawed his way back to force an infield fly and then struck out Milton Perez on three pitches to end the inning. After the RedHawks used three different pitchers in innings six through eight, Blake Rogers came on for the save opportunity in the ninth inning and hit 97 on the radar gun on the way to his fifth save of the season.

After clubbing 19 hits and 4 hits, respectively, in the first two games of the Cleburne series, the RedHawks evened it out and had nine hits in Sunday’s series finale. First baseman Correlle Prime continued his great series with two doubles and was the only RedHawks player with an extra-base hit. No player had more than one run scored or run batted in, and second baseman Manuel Boscan (2-for-4, one walk, one run scored) reached base more than any other RedHawks’ batter. Three different players (Boscan, Boxwell, and Dexter) had a stolen base.

Railroaders’ right-handed starter Garrett Alexander had a day to forget, as he got the loss after allowing four runs on six hits in his four innings pitched. RHP Taylor Wright gave up an unearned run in the sixth inning, and Bryan Saucedo gave up a run on a wild pitch in the eighth inning. Cleburne scored a first inning run for the second time this series after a Noah Vaughan leadoff double and Ramon Hernandez single. It was Hernandez’s 30th RBI of the season, which is tied for the American Association lead. They scored their two other runs in the sixth inning off of a Colton Pogue RBI-triple and balk by RedHawks’ starter Bret Helton.

The RedHawks will now visit the Chicago Dogs in Rosemont, Ill., as the two top teams in the North Division will face off in a three-game series beginning Tuesday at Impact Field. RHP Connor Grey (2-2, 3.80 ERA) is slated to start for Chicago in Tuesday’s series opener. The RedHawks have not yet determined their starter. Fargo-Moorhead’s next home game is on Friday, June 18, at 7:02 p.m. against the Sioux Falls Canaries.

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By Chad Ekren, Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks