Fish will need to reel off two more wins at home

THE ace did his part on the mound, save for a couple of costly mistakes.

Unfortunately for the Winnipeg Goldeyes and starting pitcher Landen Bourassa, a normally red-hot offence picked a bad time to go ice cold.

The end result was a 5-1 loss Wednesday night in North Dakota to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, a defeat that quickly put the Fish on the brink of playoff elimination.

Winnipeg trails the best-of-three first-round series 1-0 and will now have to rattle off two straight victories to keep its season alive.

If you’re a glass-half-full type, those games will take place in the friendly confines of Blue Cross Park on Friday and, the Goldeyes hope, Saturday evening. Winnipeg led the American Association this season with 34 home victories, and it will need to come up with two more with its back suddenly against the wall.

The Goldeyes will also need to find a way to put a dent in RedHawks pitching, which was superb in this one.

Right-hander Kyle Crigger gave up one run on six hits while striking out nine Goldeyes batters and walking none. Winnipeg didn’t touch him until it was too little, too late, as Roby Enriquez chased Crigger from the game with a run-scoring single with two outs in the top of the ninth.

The good news? Winnipeg won’t see him again in this series, thanks to the 116 pitches he threw.

You can file this offensive outage under “surprising developments,” considering Winnipeg averaged more than six runs a game this season, finishing fourth overall in the 12-team league in that category.

Run prevention, not production, was typically the Goldeyes’ biggest issue over the 100-game campaign, which ended with a 54-46 record and a second-place finish in the West Division. That was one more win than Fargo, which earned the Goldeyes home-field advantage in this divisional series.

Don’t pin this one on Winnipeg’s pitching.

Bourassa gave his team a chance, working into the seventh inning. His 110th and final pitch of the night resulted in a two-out single that made it 4-0 Fargo.

Ryo Kohigashi, who had spent the previous few weeks on the injured list and was activated just prior to game time, came on in relief of Bourassa and immediately served up another hit that plated Fargo’s fifth and final run.

Reliever James Colyer worked a scoreless eighth in what was essentially mop-up duty at that point.

Fargo’s big blow came in the third inning, when outfielder Eric Filia hit a three-run homer off Bourassa, the ball barely clearing both the wall and the glove of leaping Winnipeg defender Max Murphy.

Normally, such a deficit would be no big deal for the Goldeyes. On this night, it proved deadly.

Winnipeg is expected to turn to left-hander Kevin Vaupel (5-6, 5.83 ERA) in Friday’s elimination game. Fargo plans to counter with its own southpaw, veteran Parker Harm (6-2, 5.01 ERA). First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

TROPHY FISH: Prior to Wednesday’s game, four Goldeyes players received significant honours from the league.

Kohigashi, 28, was named the top rookie pitcher for the 2026 season after going 5-2 with a 3.95 ERA. He began the year in the bullpen, but the Japanese product really flourished after moving into a starting role, leading Winnipeg with 85 strikeouts in 79 2/3 innings.

Meanwhile, shortstop Ray-Patrick Didder and third baseman Ramon Bramasco were named post-season All-Stars for their terrific regular seasons.

Didder hit .278 with 22 home runs and 81 RBI, along with 24 doubles and five triples. The 31-year-old from Aruba posted a .397 on-base percentage and .554 slugging percentage for a team-best .951 OPS, while also stealing 20 bases. His 92 runs scored ranked third in the league and left him one shy of the Goldeyes single-season record of 93.

Bramasco — the 2025 Goldeyes player of the year — led the team with 118 hits, finishing with a .315 average. The 29-year-old from California had six home runs, 54 RBI and 74 runs scored. His .425 on-base percentage was the highest among Winnipeg regulars, and he stole 14 bases without being caught. Bramasco’s 74 walks led the league.

Finally, starter Aidan Newton was named the league’s pitcher of the week after making two starts during the final seven days of regular-season action, going 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA. The rookie from Calgary gave up three earned runs over 12 innings, surrendering 10 hits while walking two batters and striking out four.

winnipegfreepress.com/mikemcintyre