There were a few tense moments along the way but the Winnipeg Goldeyes are safely through to the second round of the playoffs.
The Goldeyes cracked out the champagne after defeating the Sioux Falls Canaries 10-3 in a must win Game 3 on Saturday at Blue Cross Park. After losing the series opener, Winnipeg won the final two games of the West Division semifinal series on home field to save their season. They took the best-of-three series two games to one.
It’s their first series victory since winning the American Association championship in 2017.
The Goldeyes scored five runs in the first inning and were never really in danger after battling back to win Game 2 the night before with their backs against the wall. The Fish chased Canaries starter Neil Lang from the game in the very first inning.
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Edwin Arroyo and Miles Simington each hit three-run home runs, and Simington drove in five runs in the clincher.
Goldeyes starting pitcher Mitchell Lambson earned the win. He allowed three runs, on five hits, in five innings of work, while striking out six batters, before giving way to the bullpen.
Trevor Achenbach and Josh Rehwaldt hit homers in the loss for the Canaries.
The Goldeyes have a 9-3 record when facing elimination since joining the American Association in 2011, and they haven’t been eliminated on home field in 15 years.
Winnipeg will face the rival Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks in the best-of-three West Division Championship series. Game 1 is scheduled for Monday in North Dakota, with the final two games, if necessary, to be played in Winnipeg this Wednesday and Thursday.