GARY SOUTHSHORE RAILCATS MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2022
Contact: Ryan Zimmerman
Phone: 219-882-2255
[email protected]

Railroaders Roll Late to Close Out RailCats

Cleburne, TX – The Cleburne Railroaders found their groove at the plate in the late stages as they stormed to a 9-3 victory over the Gary SouthShore RailCats to earn a series split.

In the early goings, however, pitching took center stage. Gary SouthShore starter Edward Cuello and Cleburne’s Kevin Hilton brought their ace stuff to The Depot at Cleburne Station, throwing five scoreless innings each to begin the contest.

The Railroaders pieced together the first major scoring opportunity in the bottom of the fifth. A pair of leadoff singles and a fielder’s choice placed runners on the corners before a wild pitch advanced the trail runner to second base.

The RailCats countered by bringing their infield in, and the decision proved to be wise. Jacob Bockelie chopped a ground ball right to Michael Woodworth who promptly fired home to cut down the lead runner attempting to score. Cuello promptly struck Nick Shumpert out to finish the frame, keeping the game scoreless.

Using that momentum, the ‘Cats struck for two runs to open the scoring in the top of the sixth. Tom Walraven reached on an error before Woodworth and Daniel Lingua recorded singles to load the bases, and Jesus Marriaga came through with a two-run knock to pull the RailCats ahead 2-0.

In their next turn at bat, the Railroaders managed to cut their deficit to one. A double and two productive outs manufactured their first run, making the score 2-1.

Once the bottom of the seventh came around, Cleburne’s bats kicked things into another gear.  They sent all nine batters to the plate in a three-run outburst and took the lead thanks to a sacrifice fly and two-run home run.

Upon seeing their lead slip away, though, the RailCats returned to hit in the top of the eighth with a comeback on their minds.  Woodworth and Lingua worked their way on base without putting a ball in play, drawing a walk a hit-by-pitch respectively, and a productive out moved Woodworth up to third.  As runners stood on the corners, facing a full count, Victor Nova delivered a bloop single to center field which brought Gary SouthShore within one run at 4-3.

At just a one-run advantage, the Railroaders made sure to distance themselves from the RailCats as they erupted for five runs in the bottom of the eighth.  Once again, they sent all nine batters up to hit, using a balk, fielder’s choice, and three-run home run to take a six-run lead into the final frame.

That six-run hill proved too much for the RailCats to climb in the top of the ninth, as the Railroaders retired the side to secure the win.

The RailCats return to action tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. as they face the Lincoln Saltdogs at Haymarket Park.  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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