FARGO, N.D. (KELO.com) — An early lead didn’t hold up for the Sioux Falls Canaries Sunday afternoon. The Birds dropped the rubber game of their three-game series to the Winnipeg Goldeyes from Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo.
The Birds (9-5) maintained first place in the American Association, a half-game ahead of Milwaukee before the Milkmen’s game vs. St. Paul in Sioux Falls Sunday evening.
Damek Tomscha stayed hot at the plate, reaching in all four of his plate appearances and driving in two runs.
The Birds took a 1-0 lead early in the game. Alay Lago hit a two-out double in the first, and Tomscha drove him in with an RBI single.
Winnipeg retook the lead in the bottom of the first. Kevin LaChance and Darnell Sweeney started the inning with back-to-back singles off Canaries starter Sam Bragg. Two batters later, Kyle Martin hit a two-run single to make it 2-1 Goldeyes.
The Goldeyes extended their advantage in the third when Eric Wood drove in Kevin LaChance to give the Goldeyes a 3-1 edge.
The Birds tied the game in the fifth off Goldeyes starter Kevin McGovern. Andrew Ely hit a leadoff triple. Two batters later Alay Lago hit a grounder to third. Wood made a wild throw to home, allowing Ely to score and Lago to move to second. The next batter, Tomscha, hit an RBI single to score Lago and tie the game at three.
That would be all the Birds got off McGovern, who allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits, walking none and striking out nine.
Winnipeg took the lead for good with a pair of solo home runs. LaChance hit a solo shot in the seventh off Kevin Folman and Logan Hill followed him up with a solo shot in the eighth off Keaton Steele, bringing the game to its final score.
UP NEXT
The Canaries head home for a string of 12 straight games at the Birdcage starting Tuesday Night at 7:05 p.m. Birds fans can find information on how to watch and listen at SFCanaries.com.
(Carter Woodiel, SF Canaries, contributed to this story.)
