Winnipeg Goldeyes: September 1, 2011 Highlights

In a short playoff series, every game is magnified. And according to Winnipeg Goldeyes shortstop Wes Long, every win is huge.

Thursday night at Shaw Park, Long delivered a bases loaded single in the bottom of the 10th to plate Brian Myrow with the winning run and give the Goldeyes a thrilling 3-2 victory over the visiting St. Paul Saints.

With the win, the Goldeyes took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five American Association semifinal.

"By getting any win in a short series, it's huge, but to win the first game, that really puts a team in a great position," said Long. "There was really no pressure on me in the 10th. The pressure was all on him (St. Paul reliever Julio DePaula). The bases were loaded with nobody out. I just wanted to get a good pitch and get the barrel of the bat on the ball. For me, in that situation, it was pretty simple."

Long was the hero, but a number of individual Goldeyes contributed to the victory. Jon Weber had two hits, including a big one in the 10th, and also made two sensational run-saving catches in left field. Price Kendall, the American Association's rookie of the year, had a single and a sacrifice fly and drove in the first two runs for Winnipeg. Myrow had a pair of hits and scored the winning run. Starter Ace Walker went 6.1 innings and allowed only one run on four hits. And Jamie Vermilyea was brilliant for three innings of late work to record the victory.

"That was really a lot of fun tonight," said Weber, who was also honored with the "Hit the Cover off the Ball Trophy" on Thursday night, an annual award presented to the Goldeyes leading hitter. "I got the bunt sign in the 10th (with Myrow on first) and when he threw me a slider out of the zone, I stepped out and let Rick know I don't bunt very well. He threw me a fastball with the second pitch and I was swinging."

Weber drilled a base hit and sent Myrow to third where he eventually trotted home with the winning run on Long's single.

The Goldeyes opened the scoring in the third when Fehlandt Lentini beat out an infield hit, went to third on a single by Justin Bass and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kendall.

St. Paul tied it on a solo homer by Ole Sheldon in the top of the seventh, but Winnipeg took a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the inning, when Lou Ott singled off the wall and later scored on a single by Kendall.

But St. Paul tied it in the eighth when Jake Krause, who reached base on an error by Wes Long, scored from third on a Jamie Vermilyea wild pitch.

The Goldeyes won it in the 10th when Myrow was hit by a pitch, went to third on a single by Weber and scored on a solid single by Long.

Vermilyea (1-0, 0.00), usually the closer, got the win by pitching the eighth, ninth and 10th innings. Julio DePaula (0-1, 99.99) suffered the loss.

Friday night, the Saints and Goldeyes will meet in Game 2 of the best-of-five American Association semi-final. Game time is 7 p.m. and can be heard live with Paul Edmonds on Sports Radio 1290.

Playoff tickets are available by visiting any Ticketmaster location, clicking on Ticketmaster.ca or by calling 1-855-GOLDEYE.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Winnipeg Goldeyes
• St. Paul Saints
• Saint Paul Saints
• American Association
• Minor League Baseball
• Shaw Park
• Independent Baseball
• Winnipeg
• Manitoba
• Canada

[pacmantab]

I'm a Saints fan, but you never want to see a series end on a throwing error - always seems to be entertaining ball between these two teams. See ya next year...