Champion, Canaries Take Series In Lincoln

LINCOLN, NE -- Fresh off a heartbreaking, extra-inning loss the night prior, the Sioux Falls Canaries needed a strong starting pitching performance and a bullpen to finish the job on Sunday night in Lincoln. They got both.

Adam Champion (6-7) held the Lincoln Saltdogs to two runs over eight innings, and Alan DeRatt pitched a perfect ninth in the Canaries' 4-2 win at Haymarket Park. Sioux Falls (29-39) won the rubber game and finished a six-game road trip at 3-3.

The Canaries' bats did just enough in support of Champion. Nick Van Stratten reached on an error to start the third inning, advanced to third on Cory Morales' single and came home on Marcos Rodriguez' groundout to break a scoreless tie. Jared Clark followed with a double off Lincoln starter Moises Melendez (2-3) to score Morales. Rodriguez added a solo home run in the fifth inning to make it 3-0, his fourth of the season.

Although he walked three men, Champion held Lincoln to one hit until two outs in the seventh. Lincoln finally scored two in the eighth on a RBI triple and run-scoring groundout. Champion scattered four hits total and struck out two.

Stephen King doubled home a run in the top of the ninth to give the Canaries insurance.

After suffering his first blown save of the year on Saturday night, DeRatt retired the Saltdogs in order, striking out Sean O'Connell to end the game for his 15th save of the year.

Melendez went 8 1/3 innings and took the loss. He gave up all four runs, three earned, on six hits while walking one and striking out six.

The Canaries open a six-game homestand with their first interleague matchup against the Trois-Rivieres Aigles at 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday, July 30 at Sioux Falls Stadium.

Courtesy:  Sioux Falls Canaries