Fargo-Moorhead 2, RailCats 0

July 28, 2007

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Gary, Ind.—Starting pitcher Joe Sergent and reliever Nate Cotton combined on a two-hit shutout as the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks continued their red hot play, defeating the Gary SouthShore RailCats 2-0 on Saturday night before a crowd of 3,643 at U. S. Steel Yard. The win was the 12th in the last 14 games for Fargo-Moorhead and improved their second half record to 12-4. Gary fell to 8-8 in the second half.

Sergent (3-0) worked eight dominant innings, allowing just two hits with two walks and four strikeouts. He yielded few hard hit balls, inducing weak pop ups and shallow fly balls off the RailCats bats. Only four of his outs came on ground balls.

Sergent's performance overshadowed an outstanding outing by Gary starting pitcher Josh Habel (9-5), who worked seven innings and allowed just three hits with three walks and eight strikeouts. Habel made only one mistake, allowing a sixth inning solo home run to Tydus Meadows that provided the winning margin. The homer was the ninth of the season for Meadows.

Sergent had to work out of serious trouble only once. In the fourth inning, Gary's Dave Detienne led off with a hard double to left, the first hit of the night for the RailCats. Eric McNamee's sacrifice moved Detienne to third with one out. But Sergent got Jay Pecci to pop foul to the catcher and after a walk to Steve Haake, he struck out Jose Yepez looking to end the threat.

The only other RailCats hit was a double to left in the seventh by Haake, but he was stranded at second base. The two hits were a season-low for the RailCats, who had only one base runner over the final five innings of the game.

Fargo-Moorhead scored an unearned run in the top of the ninth when Adam Shorsher reached on a two-base throwing error by Tanner Townsend and scored with two outs on a double off the bat of Joe Mathis that was misjudged in left field by the RailCats Jermaine Allensworth.

Cotton pitched a perfect ninth for his league-leading 14^th save. Five of his saves have come against the RailCats.

The RailCats will host Fargo-Moorhead on Sunday afternoon at U. S. Steel Yard at 2:00 p.m. in the finale of the series. Jason Shelley (3-1, 6.48) will start for Gary against the RedHawks' Gerrit Simpson (3-5, 4.46). The RailCats will be off on Monday before hosting Winnipeg Tuesday through Thursday at the Steel Yard. All three games will start at 7:00 p.m.

Notes: Gary will need a win on Sunday to avoid going below the .500 mark in either half for the first time this season…The RailCats have scored two runs or less in six of their 16 second half games.

Fargo-Moorhead 2 (38-25,12-4 2nd half) Gary 0 (38-26,8-8 2nd half)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------

Joe Mathis cf.............. 5 0 1 1 Dave Detienne 1b........... 4 0 1 0

Kory Wayment ss............ 5 0 0 0 Eric McNamee 2b............ 3 0 0 0

Tydus Meadows lf........... 2 1 1 1 Jay Pecci ss............... 4 0 0 0

Richard Austin rf.......... 4 0 1 0 Steve Haake rf............. 2 0 1 0

Ruben Salazar 3b........... 2 0 0 0 Jose Yepez c............... 2 0 0 0

Billy Munoz 1b............. 4 0 0 0 Guye Senjem dh............. 3 0 0 0

Adam Shorsher c............ 3 1 0 0 Tanner Townsend 3b......... 3 0 0 0

Mike Just 2b............... 4 0 2 0 Jermaine Allensworth cf/lf. 3 0 0 0

Jeremy Peschel dh.......... 4 0 0 0 Eric Blakeley lf........... 3 0 0 0

Joe Sergent p.............. 0 0 0 0 Dale Mueller cf........... 0 0 0 0

Nate Cotton p............. 0 0 0 0 Josh Habel p............... 0 0 0 0

Steve Edsall p............ 0 0 0 0

Brad Mumma p.............. 0 0 0 0

David Byard p............. 0 0 0 0

Totals..................... 33 2 5 2 Totals..................... 27 0 2 0

Score by Innings R H E

-------------------------------------------

Fargo-Moorhead...... 000 001 001 - 2 5 0

Gary................ 000 000 000 - 0 2 1

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E - Townsend(10). DP - RedHawks 1. LOB - RedHawks 9; RailCats 3. 2B - Mathis(15);

Austin(11); Detienne(10); Haake(16). HR - Meadows(9). SH - McNamee. SB - Just(12).

Fargo-Moorhead IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joe Sergent W,3-0......... 8.0 2 0 0 2 4 0 0 0 0 24 27 14 5 114

Nate Cotton S,14.......... 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 2 13

Gary IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Josh Habel L,9-5.......... 7.0 3 1 1 3 8 0 0 0 0 24 27 8 5 120

Steve Edsall .............. 0.2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 1 12

Brad Mumma ................ 0.1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 1 12

David Byard ............... 1.0 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 5 5 0 0 25

Inherited runners/scored: Mumma 1/0. Pitches/strikes: Sergent 114/70; Cotton 13/7; Habel

120/81; Edsall 12/5; Mumma 12/6; Byard 25/16.

Strikeouts - Mathis; Wayment; Meadows; Austin 2; Salazar; Munoz; Just; Peschel 3;

Detienne; Yepez; Senjem; Townsend. Walks - Meadows 2; Salazar 2; Shorsher; Haake;

Yepez.

Umpires - HP: Kurt Branin 1B: Bill Lopina 3B: Harry Fredenburg

Start: 6:04 pm Time: 2:39 Attendance: 3643

Game notes:

Sunday's starters: TBA (FM) at Jason Shelley (GAR), 2 pm

Fargo-Moorhead inning 1

Mathis flied out to lf (0-0). Wayment grounded out to p, bunt (1-0).

Meadows struck out looking (1-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Gary inning 1

Detienne struck out swinging (0-2). McNamee lined out to cf (0-2). Pecci

popped up to 1b (3-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Fargo-Moorhead inning 2

Austin struck out swinging (1-2). Salazar struck out swinging (2-2). Munoz

struck out swinging (2-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Gary inning 2

Haake flied out to cf (3-2). Yepez walked (3-2). Senjem grounded into

double play p to ss to 1b (1-2); Yepez out on the play. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0

errors, 0 LOB.

Fargo-Moorhead inning 3

Shorsher walked (3-2). Just popped up to 2b (0-2). Peschel lined out to rf

(0-1). Mathis struck out swinging (2-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Gary inning 3

Townsend struck out looking (1-2). Allensworth flied out to rf (3-2).

Blakeley grounded out to ss (0-0). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Fargo-Moorhead inning 4

Wayment flied out to rf (1-1). Meadows walked (3-2). Austin struck out

looking (2-2). Salazar walked (3-1); Meadows advanced to second. Munoz

grounded out to 3b (2-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

Gary inning 4

Detienne doubled to left field (1-0). McNamee grounded out to p, SAC, bunt

(0-1); Detienne advanced to third. Pecci popped up to c (2-2). Haake

walked (3-2). Yepez struck out looking (3-2). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2

LOB.

Fargo-Moorhead inning 5

Shorsher flied out to lf (0-1). Just singled to right field (2-2). Peschel

struck out swinging (2-2); Just stole second. Mathis grounded out to 2b

(0-0). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Gary inning 5

Senjem struck out looking (2-2). Townsend grounded out to 3b (2-2).

Allensworth flied out to lf (2-1). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Fargo-Moorhead inning 6

Wayment out at first p to ss to 1b (0-1). Meadows homered to right field,

RBI (0-0). Austin lined out to cf (3-2). Salazar grounded out to 2b (0-2).

1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Gary inning 6

Blakeley lined out to cf (2-2). Detienne fouled out to rf (3-1). McNamee

flied out to rf (1-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Fargo-Moorhead inning 7

Munoz popped up to 3b (0-0). Shorsher popped up to 2b (2-2). Just singled

to left field (1-2). Peschel struck out swinging (3-2). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0

errors, 1 LOB.

Gary inning 7

Pecci grounded out to 3b (1-1). Haake doubled to left field (1-2). Yepez

fouled out to rf (1-2). Senjem popped up to ss (0-0). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0

errors, 1 LOB.

Fargo-Moorhead inning 8

Edsall to p for Habel. Mathis grounded out to 2b (1-0). Wayment flied out

to cf (2-1). Meadows walked (3-2). Mumma to p for Edsall. Austin doubled

to right field (2-2); Meadows advanced to third. Salazar intentionally

walked (3-0). Munoz reached on a fielder's choice (0-2); Salazar out at

second 2b unassisted. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 3 LOB.

Gary inning 8

Townsend popped up to ss (2-2). Allensworth popped up to 1b (2-1).

Blakeley lined out to cf (0-0). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Fargo-Moorhead inning 9

Allensworth to lf. Mueller to cf for Blakeley. Byard to p for Mumma.

Shorsher reached on a throwing error by 3b, advanced to second (3-2). Just

struck out swinging, out at first c to 1b (2-2). Peschel struck out

swinging (2-2). Mathis doubled to left field, RBI (2-1); Shorsher scored,

unearned. Wayment struck out swinging (0-2). 1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.

Gary inning 9

Cotton to p for Sergent. Detienne lined out to cf (3-2). McNamee grounded

out to ss (1-0). Pecci grounded out to p (2-1). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors,

0 LOB.