(Gary, IN) The RailCats were back in action at the US Steel Yard after a 9-game road trip. After breaking a 10-game losing streak in their last contest against Fargo Moorhead, the ‘Cats were looking to keep momentum high with former first-rounder Ethan Hankins on the mound. The Kane County Cougars gave their starting job to Tommy Sommer to see if they could catch Cleburne for the top spot in the East Division.
The first three innings were a complete pitcher’s duel between Hankins and Sommer. The two threw a combined nine strikeouts and didn’t allow a hit. That all changed at the bottom of the 4th when Miguel Sierra blasted a 2-run shot to deep right field to bring Guillermo Quintana and himself home. Two innings later, Guillermo Quintana joined the slugfest with a cracked solo home run to left field that came off his bat at 98 miles per hour.
The ‘Cats led the Cougars 3-0 in the 7th inning when Jonah Davis gave the Cougars some momentum. Davis led off the top of the 7th with a mashed double to get himself into scoring position, and Claudio Finol immediately followed with a smashed double of his own to score the first run for the Cougars.
The RailCats pitching staff locked back in for the 8th inning, but the Cougars would not go down without a fight. Todd Lott led off the 9th inning against Nate Alexander with a single, followed by a Nasty Nate strikeout in the form of Jonah Davis, and then a walk from Claudio Finol got Lott in scoring position. A few pitches later, Josh Allen ripped a single up the middle to bring home Lott and make it a 3-2 ball game in favor of the ‘Cats. Armond Upshaw loaded the bases after Allen’s at-bat with an infield single, and Simon Reid came in to pinch-hit for Hayden Dunhurst. Reid, batting .302 on the season, chopped the first pitch he saw to Gio Diaz, who turned a double play to end the ballgame.
The RailCats are now 5-6 on the season against the Cougars and have a chance to tie up the series tomorrow with Andres Diaz on the mound. The first pitch against the Cougars is scheduled for 4:00 pm central time, and you can tune in on aabaseball.tv. Get access to live games and all replays, archived games, and bonus content on AABaseball.TV+ for $14.99 per month. aabaseball.tv, MIXLR, and WEFM 96.9.