WINNIPEG, Manitoba 6-22-2010 – Juan Diaz hit a three-run home run in the first inning and the Winnipeg Goldeyes never stopped scoring Tuesday night at Canwest Park, downing the Gary SouthShore RailCats 9-3 in the second game of a seven-game RailCats road trip.

Wes Long walked to start the Goldeyes first inning and Aharon Eggleston reached on catcher’s interference to bring up Diaz.  With one swing, the Northern League’s reigning home run champ gave the hosts a 3-0 lead three batters into the game, and the RailCats would play from behind the rest of the night.  The Goldeyes led by as much as 9-1 before the RailCats threw two runs on the board in the ninth.

Nolan Nicholson (0-1), signed earlier in the day, had a tough go in his first Northern League start, allowing nine runs (six earned) on 12 hits in 5.2 innings.  Nicholson gave up back-to-back Justin Justice and Vince Harrison RBI singles in the third and fifth innings to grow the Goldeyes lead, and Eggleston singled in two more with a bouncer through a drawn-in infield in the sixth to round out the Winnipeg scoring.

Winnipeg starter Chris Salamida (4-2) was the second Goldeyes pitcher in as many nights to play with fire but escape damage most of the evening.  The RailCats put the leadoff man on in four of the first six innings against the southpaw but only once brought him around to score as Salamida did not walk a single hitter in earning his fourth win.  In total, Salamida was charged with three earned runs on 10 hits, adding three strikeouts.

Mike Rohde was in the middle of both RailCats scoring rallies, doubling to lead off the fifth and coming in to score two batters later on a Chris Carrara groundout.  Jeff Beachum singled and Louis Ott doubled to start the ninth before Rohde singled them in with a base hit for his 13^th and 14^th RBI of the year.  Rohde, Beachum and Mike Massaro each had two of the RailCats 10 base hits.

Eggleston went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI to lead the Goldeyes, and Kevin West, Justice and Harrison each chipped in two hits.

The RailCats (17-15) and Goldeyes (18-13) wind down their three-game series Wednesday night at 7 p.m.  Brandon Magee (3-2, 2.94 ERA) starts for the ‘Cats opposite right-hander Ace Walker (2-2, 3.89 ERA), and the game will be broadcast live on 89.1 FM, The Lakeshore, and online at www.railcatsbaseball.com.

Notes: Ott pitched the bottom of the eighth inning, getting the side in order and breaking Eggleston’s bat on a comeback grounder.  It was Ott’s first career pitching appearance … the RailCats have only five runs in the series despite 19 hits, leaving 18 runners on base combined in the first two games … Ott’s ninth inning double extended his hitting streak to seven games.