LINCOLN, Nebraska – Justin Byrd tied Josh Altmann’s season-high 33-game on-base streak, but the Saltdogs were shut out for the first time this year in a 2-0 loss to the Chicago Dogs at Haymarket Park on Thursday night.
Byrd was hit twice to extend his on-base streak – the longest active in the American Association – but Chicago’s Jordan Kipper tossed six shutout innings and the Lincoln (45-38) was held scoreless for the first time in 83 games this year.
Chicago (51-32) took a 1-0 lead on K.C. Hobson’s 19th homer in the 3rd inning, and the Dogs added a run on Grant Kay’s RBI single in the 4th.
Lincoln had just one walk and six hits with 13 strikeouts – two shy of the season-high this year. Skyler Weber extended his hitting streak to seven with a single in the 5th inning, following up David Vidal’s leadoff double. With runners on the corners and nobody out, Kipper struck out three consecutive hitters to end the inning.
Josh Norwood went three shutout innings in relief after Ben Wereski allowed two runs over four innings. Carson Lance tossed a scoreless 8th and Walter Borkovich pitched a scoreless 9th.
The ‘Dogs fell short with a chance to win their eighth consecutive series for the first time since 2006, and finish with seven consecutive series wins for the first time since 2017 – Lincoln’s last time in the postseason.
The ‘Dogs now finish the nine-game homestand with three games against Sioux Falls this weekend. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and pregame coverage will begin at 6:35 p.m. on ESPN Lincoln 101.5 FM/1480 AM.
The Saltdogs are celebrating their 20th season at Haymarket Park this season! All ticket and promotional information can be viewed at saltdogs.com.