Winnipeg 11, RailCats 1

June 29, 2007

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Winnipeg, Manitoba—Brent Metheny belted two solo home runs and Scott Schade added a three-run blast as the Winnipeg Goldeyes defeated the Gary SouthShore RailCats 11-1 on Friday before a crowd of 6,022 in Winnipeg.

Despite the loss, Joliet's 4-3 loss to Fargo-Moorhead in 10 innings on Friday night allowed the RailCats to clinch the first half championship for the South Division of the Northern League, guaranteeing themselves home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs starting September 4^th.

The RailCats record fell to 27-11 on the season, but they held a 10 game lead with nine games to play in the first half race to clinch.

The Goldeyes scored three runs in the first inning against RailCats starting pitcher Jim Paduch (3-3). Fehlandt Lentini led off with a single to left and Chris Latham walked with one out. Schade followed with his third home run of the season, a shot to left that gave Winnipeg a 3-0 lead. Then in the second, Paduch issued back-to-back walks to start the inning before Lentini tripled to right to drive in two runs. Lentini scored when Anton French delivered a sacrifice fly to make it 6-0.

The RailCats scored their only run of the night in the third. Dale Mueller walked, went to second on Jay Pecci's single, to third on a ground out, and scored on Steve Haake's two-out single to make it 6-1.

But the RailCats could not score again against Winnipeg starter Joel Posey (3-3). He went the first seven innings, allowing six hits with two walks and two strikeouts for the win.

Matheny hit a solo home run off Paduch in the third to make it 7-1, and led off the eighth with another homer to make it 8-1. The Goldeyes added three more runs in the eighth inning against RailCats reliever Joe Panozzo, one of them unearned, to close out the scoring.

The RailCats will play at Winnipeg on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Travis Kerber (1-1, 6.75) will start for Gary against Winnipeg's Ben Moore (3-2, 5.49). They RailCats return home on July 4^th.

Notes: Paduch was activated from the disabled list Friday afternoon while right-handed relief pitcher David Byard was placed on the disabled list. Byard will be eligible to return to the active roster on July 4^th.

Box score coming soon.