FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 18, 2019
CONTACT: Jared Shlensky
[email protected]
FARGO, N.D. — Seven scoreless innings from Justin Sinibaldi, three RBIs from Hayden Schilling and a five-run eighth inning lead wasn’t enough for Gary on Sunday night at Newman Outdoor Field against Fargo-Moorhead as the RailCats were walked-off by the RedHawks, 6-5, in the opening contest of the series. Gary’s five-run lead is its largest relinquished in a loss this year and is the RailCats first eighth-inning lead lost in 29 games.
Trailing 5-0 entering the bottom of the ninth, Fargo-Moorhead (57-29) received back-to-back singles from Correlle Prime and Leobaldo Pina to begin the frame. Chris Jacobs then pinch-hit for Michael Hope and doubled off the top of the left-center wall, scoring Prime from center. Carlos Garcia followed Prime with a three-run home run down the left field line, trimming the Gary lead to one. Brian Olson tied the game on the very next pitch with an opposite-field home run. Yhoxian Medina picked up the sixth straight hit of the inning with an infield single before former RailCat Brennan Metzger completed the come-from-behind win with a walk-off double to left-center.
Sinibaldi struck out a career-high seven batters and yielded just two hits and there walks in his second straight no-decision while Jack Alkire (1) recorded his first professional hold with a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Christian DeLeon (1-4) was charged with the loss in his second straight blown save after allowing six unanswered runs on seven hits without recording an out in the bottom of the ninth.
M. Hope (6-0) picked up the win in relief. The right-hander allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four.
Gary (34-52) scored first for the fourth straight game with three runs in the top of the second. Colin Willis picked up the first hit of the series with a single down the right field line before Randy Santiesteban singled through the left side of the infield. Danny De La Calle then advanced both baserunners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt before Schilling brought both Willis and Santiesteban around to score with a two-run triple to the right-center gap. Andy De Jesus followed Schilling with an RBI groundout to the right side of the infield for the final run of the inning.
The RailCats scored their final runs in the top of the ninth to take their biggest lead of the evening. Marcus Mooney extended his hitting streak to 10 games with an infield single to begin the inning before coming around to score on Willis’ RBI double to left-center. Willis then moved up to third on a wild pitch before scoring on an RBI single from Schilling.
Gary resumes its three-game road series on Monday night at 7:10 p.m. vs. Fargo-Moorhead. RailCats’ rookie left-hander Seth Hougesen (3-2, 5.08) opposes RedHawks’ right-hander Michael Tamburino (6-5, 3.56) in the middle game of the series.
Gary returns home to U.S. Steel Yard on Wednesday for a three-game home series vs. St. Paul. Wednesday’s series opener vs. the Saints is at 6:45 p.m. and is the last Creekside “Pop-Up Bar Wednesday”, celebrating Golden Girls, and NorthShore Health Centers Wednesday of the season. Visit any Northwest Indiana NorthShore Health Center for complimentary tickets to a Wednesday RailCats game.
Ticket packages for the 2019 Gary SouthShore RailCats season are available online at railcatsbaseball.com and can also be purchased by calling the RailCats ticket line at (219) 882-BALL. The RailCats box office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
–RAILCATS–