Canaries Down Goldeyes, Move Into Second Place
Winnipeg, MB – Aaron Whitefield drove in three runs on Tuesday to help the Canaries top Winnipeg 6-5 and move into a tie for second place in the West Division.
Hunter Clanin opened the scoring with an RBI single in the second inning and Whitefield followed with a sacrifice fly. Trevor Achenbach homered to lead off the fourth frame and Shamoy Christopher put the Birds on top 4-0 with an RBI single.
Winnipeg rallied to score two runs in the bottom half and loaded the bases with two outs but Christopher picked off a runner at third base to end the inning. The Goldeyes added another run in the bottom of the fifth but Whitefield drove in two with a triple in the sixth.
A two-out, two-run double in the eighth inning brought Winnipeg within a run but Darnell Sweeney preserved the lead with a sliding catch to end the frame. The Goldeyes got a pair of two-out baserunners in the bottom of the ninth before Jose Cruz finished off a four-out save with a strikeout.
Sweeney, Achenbach, Clanin and Whitefield each finished with two hits as the Canaries improve to 46-43 and have won 14 of their last 16 games. Cole LaLonde allowed a hit over two scoreless innings of relief to earn his first professional win. The Birds will look to clinch the four-game series when the two teams meet Wednesday at 6:30pm.
