GARY SOUTHSHORE RAILCATS MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2022
Contact: Ryan Zimmerman
Phone: 219-882-2255
[email protected]

Cougars Outlast RailCats in Extra-Inning Heartbreaker 

Gary, IN – On a night where pitchers dominated, the Kane County Cougars did just enough offensively to take the Gary SouthShore RailCats down 3-2 in 10 innings. 

Gary SouthShore arms were fantastic in regulation, but the Cougars came up with timely hits in their half of the 10th inning to keep them out of the win column and take the series. 

Both teams went down quietly in the first two frames before Kane County plated the game’s first run in the top of the third.  The visitors capitalized on a one-out walk when Ernie De La Trinidad produced a double that put the Cougars ahead 1-0. 

However, their lead did not last long.  With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Michael Cruz crushed his first home run of the year, an opposite-field blast over the left-field fence, to level the score at one. 

From that point forward, neither team could get their bats going for the rest of regulation.  Starting pitcher Harrison Francis dazzled through the first 5.2 innings, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out four. 

Jack Eisenbarger took over with two outs in the top of the sixth and a runner on second base, but he needed just four pitches to fan former Los Angeles Angels infielder Sherman Johnson to keep the contest tied. 

He continued to carve right through the Kane County lineup over the next three frames, as he permitted just one baserunner on a Gary SouthShore error and struck out three.  

Eisenbarger’s efforts gave the ‘Cats a chance to win in walk-off fashion, but Cougars pitching stepped up in the bottom of the ninth.  Though Jesus Marriaga led off with a single, he could not advance further than first base as the contest extended to extra innings   

As a runner stood on second to begin the top of the 10th, the Cougars pounced to pull back in front.  A one-out double plated the go-ahead run, and although the ‘Cats cut down an insurance run trying to score on the play, a wild pitch produced another run, giving Kane County a 3-1 edge with three outs left to get. 

With the odds stacked against them, the RailCats refused to bow out.  Tom Walraven represented the initial runner on second base, and Javeyan Williams doubled him in to cut the Cougars advantage to one.  Michael Woodworth immediately advanced Williams to third base on a single, placing the tying run at third and the winning run at first. 

Unfortunately, that was where Gary SouthShore’s luck ran out. A hard-hit groundball to second base kickstarted an inning-ending double play to seal the victory for the Cougars. 

The RailCats hit the road tomorrow as they travel north to Franklin Field to kick off a three-game weekend series against the Milwaukee Milkmen. All the action will be streamed on aabaseball.tv, 95.9 WEFM, and the Gary SouthShore RailCats Broadcast Network via the Mixlr app. 

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