(KNFL/KFGO) – After a hard-fought 9-inning battle Friday evening, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks came away with a 6-5 victory against the Winnipeg Goldeyes, taking the series 2-0 at Blue Cross Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The underdog RedHawks would leave the home fans speechless as they swept the series with a shocking final blow in the top of the 9th by way of a Matt Kroon 3-run home run.
The starting matchup on the mound would be Parker Harm (F-M) versus Kevin Vaupel (WPG).
After Brian Fuentes reached first base on an error in the 2nd, Tucupita Marcano would make his way home to open up the scoring to an inviting 1-0 scoreline for Fargo-Moorhead.
Fuentes would finally get his name into the scoresheet to extend the lead to 2-0 in the top of the 4th, with an RBI single, batting in Matt Kroon.
As expected, the Goldeyes would not go down easily with this series, as well as their season on the line in this game. In the bottom of the 4th, Noah Marcelo would bring in Ramon Bramasco to claw back to a far more manageable 2-1 deficit. Winnipeg wasn’t done yet. With a teammate on base, Roby Enriquez sent a ball over the right field wall to flip the game on its head, taking a 3-2 Winnipeg lead into the 5th.
Matt Kroon would quickly answer back in the top of the 5th inning, reaching base on a fielder’s choice ruling, batting in Jose Sermo in the process to tie the game at 3-3.
In the bottom of the 7th, Kevin Garcia would earn an RBI to give Winnipeg a 4-3 lead going into the final innings.
Ray-Patrick Didder made his way to the plate in the bottom of the 8th inning, looking to extend the Goldeyes’ lead, and extend it he did. A solo home run effort would stretch Winnipeg’s lead to a seemingly impossible 5-3 advantage going into the 9th inning.
Heading into the top of the 9th inning, some RedHawks were already preparing for a potential Game 3. Matt Kroon had different ideas. Winnipeg closer Derrick Cherry would concede two crucial walks to provide Kroon a golden opportunity to take the lead from a single swing of his bat. With one out on the board and a fresh 0-0 count, Kroon took the game into his own hands, sending a fly ball over the wall and sending the RedHawks into the Western Division Championship Series with a 6-5 come-from-behind victory.
RedHawks starter Parker Harm would go 6.0 innings, allowing 6 hits, 4 runs, while striking out four. Reliever Mason Pelio would earn the win. Closer Tyler Jeans gets the save.
Goldeyes starter Kevin Vaupel would pitch 5.0 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits in those 5 frames. Derrick Cherry takes the loss.
Fargo-Moorhead will face the winner of the Kansas City Monarchs and Sioux Falls Canaries series. Coverage of the upcoming Miles Wolff Cup West Division Championship Series will be on 740AM/107.3FM The FAN, 740the FAN.com, and on The FAN mobile App.
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