LINCOLN, NE – The Lincoln Saltdogs blasted two home runs in the bottom of the ninth inning but their rally fell short in an 8-6 loss to the Sioux Falls Canaries on Friday night.
The defeat was the third straight loss for Lincoln (32-38), tying its longest home skid of the season.
The Saltdogs grabbed the first lead of the game in the second inning. Brandon Jacobs scored on an error and Alex Glenn doubled in a run to make it 2-0.
Then, the Canaries (27-43) pounced. They scored two runs in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings to gain a 6-3 advantage.
Saltdogs reliever Jake Hohensee gave up the fifth inning runs, but settled in to toss three shutout frames to get to the ninth. The righty walked the first batter of the inning and was replaced by Cortland Cox. Then, Jabari Henry drove the first pitch he saw to the fence and knocked in a run. Henry advanced on a fly ball and scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-3.
The Saltdogs attempted a furious rally in the bottom of the ninth. Randolph Oduber drew a walk off reliever Luis Pollorena to start things. Curt Smith followed with a two-run homer to make it a three-run game. Two batters later, Brandon Jacobs went opposite field for a solo homer to continue to chip away. The Canaries summoned closer Kyle Schepel to record the final two outs, which he notched in order to earn the save.
The Saltdogs and Canaries rematch on Saturday night. First pitch is at 7:05 PM with coverage beginning at 6:35 PM on ESPN 101.5 FM 1480 AM and http://saltdogs.com/stream.
For more information on the Saltdogs, follow the team on Facebook and Twitter/Instagram @saltdogsball. For ticket information visit https://saltdogs.com/tickets/ or call (402) 474-2255.