Just days after being named Pitcher of the Week, Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks left-hander Matt Tomshaw showed why he deserved that honor, tossing a complete-game and holding the St. Paul Saints to just two runs in the 10-2 victory. Forrestt Allday added three hits and knocked in three to help lead the RedHawks offense. The victory snapped the team’s three-game losing streak.

The RedHawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Brennan Metzger led off with a base hit. Allday was then hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Drew Ward lined a double into the gap, bringing Metzger around to score. A walk to Leobaldo Pina loaded the bases. After a fly out, Christian Ibarra worked the count full before drawing a walk. That drove home Allday to give Fargo-Moorhead a two-run lead.

In the fourth, the RedHawks extended their lead. Nick Kahle led off the inning with a double, moved to third on a sacrifice and scored on a Metzger double.

An inning later, they added three more runs. Ward led off with a base hit and moved to second when Pina reached on an error. A fielder’s choice put runners at the corners for Ibarra, who laced a single into left field, bringing home Ward. A second fielder’s choice put runners at the corners once again, bringing Trey Hair to the plate. He grounded a single into right, driving home Dario Pizzano to extend the lead to five. A wild pitch brought home Kahle with the final run of the inning.

Fargo-Moorhead added a pair of runs in the eighth and ninth innings. In the eighth, Metzger led off with a base hit and Allday followed with his second homerun of the season. One inning later, Hair drove home Pizzano with a sacrifice fly and Allday plated his third run of the game with a single.

While the offense was putting up big numbers, Tomshaw was shutting down the Saints. He found himself in a little trouble to start the contest, giving up back-to-back singles in the bottom of the first, but then got two flyball outs before striking out Josh Allen to end the frame.

That started a run of seven straight batters retired, which was broken when Mikey Reynolds doubled, recording his second hit of the contest. After giving up a third hit to Reynolds with two down in the fifth, Tomshaw retired the next 10 batters, taking a shutout into the ninth inning.

That is when St. Paul would find the get on the board. Chesny Young led off the frame with a single and moved to third when Chris Chinea doubled into right field. That brought Alan to the plate, who singled into left, scoring both runners to cut the deficit to eight. However, St. Paul would get no closer.

The victory evened with the record for Tomshaw (2-2). The left-hander allowed eight hits and no walks while striking out five. The two runs allowed in the ninth did snap his 24.2 scoreless innings streak, the longest in the American Association this season.

Allday finished 3-5 with two runs scored and three RBI. Metzger was 3-6 with two runs and an RBI, and both Ibarra and Hair drove in a pair of runs.

Boxscore

By Robert Pannier