SALTDOGS OPEN EXHIBITION PLAY WITH A WIN
The Lincoln Saltdogs defeated Fargo-Moorhead on Wednesday night 12-3, starting off a two-game, 11-inning exhibition series with the Redhawks.
Lincoln started things off in unusual fashion in the second inning when Maikel Jova got on base with an infield error charged to Fargo’s Damon Lessler. Brandon Jones and Joseph Ramos followed with a pair of singles. Blake Gailen would drive in Jova and Jones with an RBI double followed by Gavin Dickey’s two-RBI single, giving Lincoln a 4-0 lead.
Jon Nelson kicked off the bottom of the 3rd inning with a lead-off double, followed by Jova’s RBI single, making it 5-0 Lincoln.
Lincoln had some trouble in the fifth inning when Fargo’s Brian Ruggiano got on base via an error charged to Phil Hawke, followed by two RBI double by Jesse Hoorelbeke, cutting into Lincoln’s lead 5-2.
Home runs in the game came in the 6th inning for Lincoln when Kevin Rios hit a two-run shot over left field and Phil Hawke added another for the Saltdogs in the 8th inning with his own two-run home run
Fargo-Moorhead added another run on a solo home run shot to right field in the 11th inning.
Lincoln’s pitching was solid throughout the game. Lindsay Gulin, the winning pitcher and projected starter for the season opener, started the first three innings of game strong; allowing three hits, one walk and two strikeouts. Italian-born Allesandro Maestri pitched the next three innings with three hits, two runs and three strikeouts.
Tommy Palica, Paul Koss and Sean Potter combined for 4 IP, two hits, one walk and six strikeouts. P.J. Zocchi closed out the 11th with a hit, earned run and two strikeouts.
Gulin and Maestri, along with Tim Brown and John James, make up the four-pitcher rotation Lincoln manager Marty Scott wants to go with this season. Scott says rookie pitcher Tommy Palica is slated as a possible fifth starter in the rotation.
Lincoln put up an impressive 17 hits against Fargo-Moorhead pitchers. Fargo-Moorhead had nine hits with two errors.
The Saltdogs have four exhibition games left before the start of the regular season. Next game is Thursday night at Levitt Stadium in York for game two with the Redhawks.
First pitch for the 11-inning game is set for 5:30 p.m.