RedHawks Snap 5-Game Losing Skid; Win Series Finale Over Cougars

FARGO (KVRR) — The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks erupted for 12 runs on 17 hits Sunday afternoon, snapping back into the win column with a 12-7 victory over the Kane County Cougars in the series finale at Newman Outdoor Field.

After dropping the previous two games of the series, the RedHawks (5-5) wasted little time getting the offense rolling, building a 10-6 advantage before the pitching staff settled in late to close out the win over Kane County (6-3).

Six different Fargo-Moorhead hitters recorded multi-hit performances, led by Tripp Clark, who finished a perfect 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. Juan Fernandez also stayed hot at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Jose Lujano and Dillon Thomas each launched home runs.

The RedHawks jumped ahead early in the first inning when Fernandez and Thomas opened the frame with singles. Following a Jose Sermo fielder’s choice, Lujano crushed a 366-foot three-run homer to right field to give Fargo-Moorhead a quick 3-0 lead. Clark added an RBI single later in the inning to stretch the advantage to four.

Fargo-Moorhead added another run in the second when Fernandez singled home Jairus Richards, pushing the lead to 5-0.

Kane County answered in the top of the third after Matt Bottcher drove in a run with a double before a RedHawks error allowed two more runs to score. But Fargo-Moorhead responded immediately. Clark ripped a two-run double into right field, and Richards followed with an RBI double of his own to restore the five-run cushion.

The Cougars chipped away again in the fourth, but Thomas answered with a towering 392-foot solo blast to right-center field, extending the lead to 10-4.

While the offense stole the spotlight early, Fargo-Moorhead’s pitching settled in during the middle innings. Hunter Day delivered a strong extended relief outing, closing out both the sixth and seventh innings with strikeouts while helping stabilize the game after Kane County trimmed the deficit.

The RedHawks added two insurance runs in the eighth inning. Richards singled, then stole both second and third base before scoring on a Fernandez RBI single to left field. Sermo later lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 12-7.

Tyler Jeans slammed the door in the ninth inning, striking out three batters to secure the victory.

Kolby Kiser made the start for Fargo-Moorhead in his season debut, tossing 2.1 innings with two walks and one strikeout. Day earned the win after throwing 4.2 innings in relief with three strikeouts, while Parker Harm added a scoreless eighth inning.

Following the game, RedHawks manager Chris Coste said the win was important after a difficult stretch caused in part by bullpen injuries and fatigue.

“We had a chance to win every one of those games, but we had a really hard time holding our opponent down because we were very compromised with the depth of our bullpen,” Coste said. “First four games, our bullpen was lights out, but then we had some injuries where we didn’t have anybody else to go out there. A little bit worn down, a little bit sending guys out for the third inning when maybe they shouldn’t have been. We didn’t have a choice. So we do love our team. Now, with this reset next week, hopefully we can play better on both sides of the ball.”

The RedHawks now head into an off day Monday before returning to Newman Outdoor Field on Tuesday to open a three-game series against the Lake Country DockHounds. First pitch is scheduled for 7:02 p.m.