GARY SOUTHSHORE RAILCATS MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 6, 2022
Contact: Ryan Zimmerman
Phone: 219-882-2255
[email protected]  

DockHounds Rally Around RailCats in Record-Breaking Thriller 

Gary, IN – In a contest that set the record for the longest nine-inning game in American Association history, the Lake Country DockHounds provided just enough firepower to take down the Gary SouthShore RailCats 12-11. 

The two teams combined for 26 hits and 24 walks against 11 different pitchers to generate their 23 runs over the course of a four-hour and 37-minute back-and-forth battle. 

Gary SouthShore got the scoring started in the very first inning as they produced three runs against a pair of Lake Country arms.  On his first swing as a RailCat, Nate Scantlin tripled to the wall in center field, and Michael Woodworth drove him home one pitch later on a single.  Victor Nova walked to place runners on first and second base, and Jesus Marriaga‘s base hit doubled the ‘Cats lead. Following a flyout, Daniel Lingua lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to put the hosts up 3-0. 

However, their early advantage was short-lived.  The DockHounds roared for eight runs in their next turn at bat, sending 12 batters to the box in the process as they pulled ahead by five. 

Playing from behind for the first time, the RailCats rallied to grab their edge right back in the bottom of the second.  Alec Olund, Tom Walraven, and Scantlin drew consecutive walks to load the bases, and Woodworth singled to bring the ‘Cats within four.  A Nova sacrifice fly cut the Gary SouthShore deficit to three, and Marriaga’s two-run triple placed the tying run at third base.  Michael Cruz‘s groundout allowed Marriaga to touch home plate and tie the ballgame, and with the bases empty, Lingua singled and stole second to reignite the RailCats lineup. Chris Burgess, the ninth batter of the inning, roped a single to left field which moved Gary SouthShore in front 9-8. 

The two teams traded zeros in the third before the DockHounds leveled the score back up in the fourth.  A walk, two stolen bases, and a single helped Lake Country edge their way back to equal footing, knotting the contest at nine. 

Though Marriaga’s double in the bottom half of that frame did not deliver a run, he made his next swing count, making history in the process.  His leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth propelled the RailCats back to a 10-9 lead, and in doing so, he completed the cycle in just four at-bats through six innings. 

A scoreless seventh inning had the RailCats six outs away from victory, but Lake Country stormed back to tie the matchup at 10.  The DockHounds worked a walk, drew a hit-by-pitch, and benefitted from two wild pitches to position both teams on equal footing heading into the final frame.  

Three hits and a walk enabled Lake Country to seize control at 12-10 needing just three outs to secure the win, but the RailCats were unwilling to go down without a fight.  Scantlin led off by blooping a single to left field, and Woodworth helped him reach third on his single one hitter later.  Woodworth immediately stole second base, and a wild pitch to the next batter, Nova, both tallied a run and located both the tying and winning runs on base.  

At that point, Gary SouthShore’s luck at the dish ran out.  Two straight strikeouts and a groundout enabled the DockHounds to escape the ninth inning and shut the RailCats down. 

The ‘Cats and DockHounds return to The Steel Yard tomorrow at 6:45 p.m. for the series finale.  All the action will be streamed on aabaseball.tv, 95.9 WEFM, and the Gary SouthShore RailCats Broadcast Network through the Mixlr app. 

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