Being up against the wall in the playoffs is never an easy situation, but the Lincoln Saltdogs prevailed and are headed to the American Association championship series. After they forced game five with a victory on Sunday night, Lincoln defeated the Winnipeg Goldeyes again in the series-deciding game, 2-0.
Starting pitcher Joe Bisenius (pictured) delivered when it mattered the most. Bisenius pitched a complete-game shutout and struck out 11 Winnipeg hitters to lead his Saltdogs to the championship series. The right-hander only allowed six hits and walked one.
Thanks to Bisenius’ brilliant evening on the hill, the Saltdogs only needed a pair of runs in the third inning to capture the victory. Chad Mozingo got things started that inning with a one-out single and Luis Nunez followed with a double to put a pair in scoring position. After the two-bagger, Matt Forgatch produced the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly and Ian Gac came through immediately after with an RBI double to push Lincoln’s lead to 2-0 and they rode that lead to a big win.
The Saltdogs will stay at home to host the top-seeded Wichita Wingnuts in the American Association championship series. This will be Lincoln’s second appearance in the AA finals and their first appearance since the Saltdogs won the championship back in 2009. The Wingnuts are returning to the championship series for the third straight season and are in search of their first AA title. Game one is scheduled for Wednesday at Haymarket Park.
