LONG’S LONGBALLS POWER LINCOLN PAST CANARIES
Sioux Falls, SD – Lincoln third baseman Ryan Long hit a pair of two-run homeruns against his former team Tuesday night as the Saltdogs topped the Canaries 6-4 at Sioux Falls Stadium.
Ozzie Martinez got things started with a two-run homerun in the bottom of the first inning. Each team would plate a run with an RBI single in the second but Lincoln tied the game with the first of Long’s homeruns an inning later.
Justin Byrd put the Saltdogs out in front with a solo shot a few moments after Long’s round-tripper but Jabari Henry evened things up with a homerun in the bottom half of the frame.
The score held until Long’s at-bat in the eighth inning when his second two-run homerun put Lincoln ahead for good. The Birds managed to get the tying run into scoring position with two outs in the ninth but couldn’t bridge the gap.
Martinez and Gavin LaValley each finished 3-5 to lead Sioux Falls offensively while Tony Lanier, Colby Wyatt and Matt Dunaway combined to throw five scoreless relief innings.
The Canaries are now 10-25 overall and will look to even the series Wednesday night at 7:05pm.
