The champagne was flowing at Blue Cross Park for the second time this post-season.
The Winnipeg Goldeyes moved just three victories away from an American Association championship with a do-or-die Game 3 win.
Winnipeg defeated the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 3-1 in the West Division Championship on Thursday to win the best-of-three series two games to one. They advance to the best-of-five Wolff Cup Final for the first time since 2017.
The RedHawks put the potential tying run on base in the ninth inning but Winnipegger Ben Onyshko slammed the door to send his hometown team to the final.
Goldeyes starting pitcher Mitchell Lambson was brilliant in the clincher. He allowed just one run and gave up only three hits, while striking out 11 batters in nearly seven innings of work for his second win of the playoffs.
The Goldeyes never trailed in the game. They scored on a bunt in the fourth inning before an Edwin Arroyo RBI single in the fifth. Jake McMurray added an insurance run in the eighth inning with a solo home run.
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Michael Hallquist provided all the offence for Fargo with a fifth-inning homer.
Winnipeg left the bases loaded in both the fifth and seventh innings. The two teams combined for only 11 hits.
Goldeyes infielder Ramon Bramasco was not in the lineup after getting injured in Game 2 the night before. He was replaced by Andy Armstrong at shortstop.
The Goldeyes will be seeking their fifth championship in franchise history. They won their first title in the Northern League (1994) and have captured the American Association crown three times previously with the last coming in 2017 when they won back-to-back championships.
Winnipeg will play the Kane County Cougars in the final after they swept the Chicago Dogs. The Goldeyes had one more win than the Cougars in the regular season and took four of their six meetings.
Games one and two of the Wolff Cup Final are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Illinois. The final three games of the series, if necessary, will all be played in Winnipeg at Blue Cross Park on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
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