LINCOLN, NE -- Curt Smith hit a walkoff, three-run home run in the bottom of the 12th inning, and the Lincoln Saltdogs beat the Sioux Falls Canaries 11-10 on Saturday night at Haymarket Park to even a three-game series at one game apiece.

Lincoln erased Canaries leads of 7-4, 8-7 and 10-8 to overcome the Canaries, tying the game in ninth and 11th innings before the fateful 12th.  Brian Embery and Yasel Gomez started the 12th inning with back-to-back singles. Canaries reliever Kirk Clark (0-4) then struck out Mike Coles and David Espinosa before yielding Smith's two-out, two-strike blow.

The Canaries bullpen was unable to lock down the Saltdogs. Alan DeRatt entered the ninth with a 7-4 lead but gave up three runs to suffer his first blown save of the year. Matt Daly gave up a game-tying, leadoff home run to Ian Gac in the 11th to make it 8-8.

Tim Pahuta gave the Canaries a 10-8 lead with a two-run home run in the 12th inning, his league-leading 19th of the year.

P.J. Zocchi (5-0) earned the win in relief.

Six Canaries hitters had two-hit performances, while Gac and Matt Forgatch each had three hits for Lincoln.

The rubber-game of the three-game series is  at 5:05 p.m on Sunday.

Courtesy:  Sioux Falls Canaries

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