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For the second night in a row, the Winnipeg Goldeyes were able to take an early lead against the Amarillo Sox and never look back. Darian Stewart . On Saturday night, Winnipegs strong offense was again accompanied by some fantastic pitching which gave the Fish a commanding victory. The Goldeyes (2-1) beat the Sox (2-1) 12-2. With the win, the Fish take a 2-1 advantage in the two teams four-game season-opening series at Amarillo National Bank Sox Stadium. In the first, with the two lead-off Winnipeg batters having already been retired, Ray Sadler got on base with a single. Reggie Abercrombie then stepped to the plate and hit a two-run home run to open the scoring. Matt Jackson then provided the Goldeyes with some fantastic pitching. Jackson allowed only four hits in his six and one-third innings of work. He struck out five, and only gave up one walk. "It was a repeat of last night with Jarvis," Goldeyes Pitching Coach Jamie Vermilyea said of Jackson on the Jewel 101 Post-Game Show, "throwing strikes and dictating each at bat." The Goldeyes offense went back to work in the top of the third. They got three runs in the frame, one on a RBI from Jake Blackwood, one on a RBI from Sadler, and one on a Sox fielding error. Winnipegs bats were quiet in the fourth through seventh innings, but their offense picked it back up in the eighth. Ryan Pineda led off the top of the inning with a solo home run. Luis Alen then hit a single, and would eventually come around to score on an error. Sadler and Abercrombie would get on base, and then Josh Mazzola stepped up and hit a three-run home run. The Fish didnt stop there. In the top of the ninth, the Goldeyes loaded the bases, and Sadler hit a two RBI single that scored Kuhn and Jordan Guida — who was pinch-hitting for Alen. Sadler would end the night going an impressive four for six at the plate, with three runs, and three RBI. "When youve got your three-hole hitter locked in, good things are going to happen," said Vermilyea. The Goldeyes bullpen pitched extremely well, and was able to keep the shutout intact until the bottom of the ninth, when the Sox were able to score their two runs. One of which came on the first professional hit for Sox player Josh Miller. The 12 runs that the Goldeyes scored are the most theyve put on the scoreboard so far this season. The Goldeyes will play one more game against the Sox tomorrow at 6 p.m. with the expected pitching match-up to be Winnipegs Nick Hernandez against Amarillos Michael Nannini. The Goldeyes then head to Laredo to take on the Laredo Lemurs in a three-series that starts Monday. Youth Grey Torrey Smith Elite Jersey . "First, I would like to offer my deepest and sincerest apologies for any harm I have inflicted on University of Missouri defensive lineman, Michael Sam," the statement read. Jimmy Smith Ravens Jersey . Wrights first stint with Milwaukee was on a 10-day contract from March 14-23. He played in two games, averaging six points and two rebounds in 16.TORONTO, Ontario - Moments after Canada narrowly edged Latvia 2-1 to book their ticket to face the United States in the semifinals of the Olympic mens hockey tournament, Jonathan Toews was asked about going head to head against his Chicago Blackhawks teammate Patrick Kane. “Hes alright,” laughed Toews, “but that Kessel guy is even better.” Whether Toews was sharing his true belief or not is beside the point. The fact that the captain of two different Stanley Cup champions would even think to make that comparison shows that Kessel is being thought of among the games elite, not just by pundits but, more importantly, by his peers. And rightly so. Finishing up with points in thirteen of his final 15 games before the Olympic break (11-16-27) to put himself fourth overall in NHL scoring with 65 points – second overall in goals with 31 behind only Alex Ovechkin – Kessel has continued to excel in Sochi, leading the mens tournament in scoring with eight points in four games while sitting tied with Michael Grabner for the lead in goals with five. Let that sink in for a moment. In a tournament involving undisputedly the best players in the world, Phil Kessel has arguably been the top performer. “We all believed that hes able to do it,” said Kessels centre in Toronto, Tyler Bozak. “Who knows what other people think outside of our locker room but we believe in him to be one of the best players in the league and hes proving it yet again.” Now 26 years old and in his eighth NHL season, Kessel is on pace for his best statistical season, poised to set new career highs in goals, assists and points. If he keeps up his pace set through the first 60 games, he could well break the 40-goal plateau and finish just shy of 90 points. To put that in perspective, not since Mats Sundin scored 41 goals in 2001-02 has a Maple Leaf reached 40 goals. The 90-point milestone hasnt been met in Toronto since Sundin did it in 1996-97. Nazem Kadri feels its time for Kessel to be recognized among the NHLs best. “I think he should be, if he wasnt already,” he said after the Maple Leafs reconvened for practice on Wednesday. Terrell Suggs Jersey. “I think we all knew that Phil was going to achieve more, especially on that big ice. Not too many players in the league can skate with him. Phil does a great job finding areas to get open; he can find his own teammates and score goals.” The knock against Kessel has long been that he is too one-dimensional of a player but the Madison, Wisconsin native has been aggressively debunking that myth in recent times. An inspired effort during the Leafs seven game playoff series against the Boston Bruins in the spring of 2013 was an eye opener. Hes shown a willingness to stand up for himself, as he has done on two separate occasions against Alex Burrows this season. “I think Phil kind of likes that stuff secretly,” revealed Bozak after Kessels latest altercation with Burrows on Feb. 8. “It kind of fired him up.” Perhaps most impressive though has been Kessels ability not only to score goals but to enhance the play of his teammates, a much more difficult task as a winger than as a centre. Only Patrick Kane (36), Taylor Hall (36) and Kyle Okposo (35) have more assists as wingers this season than Kessels 34. To any longer cast Kessel in the light of solely a one dimensional goal scorer is inaccurate. Hes proven that he is one of the most purely skilled players the Leafs have had in the last thirty years and right now, among the best in the NHL. “Phil has definitely taken strides here and has grown as a player,” explained Coach Randy Carlyle. “Hes not a one dimensional player as people described him previously. Hes a guy that still has some things that wed like him to stop doing but hes become more of a two way player, hes stopped on pucks a lot more, hes been in the shooting lane a lot more. Hes not just a rush player, he can do a lot of different things with the puck and hes provided this hockey club and now the USA team with a lot of different intangibles.” ' ' ' |
