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Winnipeg Goldeyes starter Rich Hawkins gave up four runs in the first inning and three more in the second. His team never recovered.

Friday night in front of 5,584 spectators on Lou Gehrig Night at Shaw Park, the visiting Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks beat the Goldeyes 9-6 to win its first game against the Fish in its last 10 starts.

For Winnipeg, it was a bad start, but not a bad finish.

“You can’t knock the guys, nobody quit,” said Goldeyes pitching coach Bill Pulsipher. “We made it interesting at the end. We gave it a good effort. Those back-to-back homers we hit in the seventh made it interesting. Those back-to-back homers they hit in the first, not so much.”

With the loss, the Goldeyes record fell to 21-13, but Winnipeg continues to lead the American Association’s North Division by two and a half games over the second-place Sioux Falls Pheasants.

Ryan Delgado hit a three-run homer in the first inning followed immediately by a solo shot off the bat of Sergio Pedroza as the RedHawks got off to a fast start and left the Goldeyes in the their wake. With three more in the second and one more in the third, Fargo had enough to improve to 15-19 on the season.

Winnipeg made it exciting in the sixth as Jon Weber singled, Gabby Martinez struck out and Luis Alen walked. After Josh Mazzola singled home Weber, Dan Barbero walked to lead the bases. Alen scored on a ground out by David Narodowski and then Mazzola scored on a single by Ridge Carpenter. That made it 8-3 and the Goldeyes had some life.

In the seventh, Chris Roberson hit a line drive over the left-field fence and Weber came up behind him and hit a towering fly ball over the right-field wall to make it 8-5. Later in the inning, Luis Alen walked, stole second and then scored on a Barbero double.

Suddenly it was 8-6 and the Goldeyes were back in the game.

However, in the top of the eighth, the RedHawks added a run on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Stovall and that was it.

Rich Hawkins (2-1, 7.27 ERA) suffered the loss for Winnipeg while Alex Caldera (5-1, 2.84) got the win. Tom Boleska picked up his league-leading ninth save. Minnesota state trooper Brian Beuning had another solid effort out of the bullpen for Winnipeg, going two innings and allowing only one hit.

“Brian’s been great for us, especially for a police officer,” said Pulsipher. “He believes in what he can do and he has a lot of confidence. Some of our other guys have to start believing in what they can do.”

Saturday night the RedHawks and Goldeyes play Game 3 of this four-game series at Shaw Park. Paul Burnside (3-3, 2.94 ERA) will toe the slab for Fargo while Ace Walker (3-1, 3.83) will take the ball for the Fish.