CLEBURNE, Texas – Josh Altmann hit a three-run homer, Matt Goodheart had a second consecutive three-hit game, but the ‘Dogs gave away another multi-run lead in a 5-4 loss to the Cleburne Railroaders at The Depot on Friday night.
Altmann’s three-run homer gave the ‘Dogs a 3-1 lead in the 5th, and Goodheart is now 6-for-8 in the first two games of the series.
Cleburne (21-33) scored first on a two-out RBI single from Kacy Clemens in the 1st inning.
Altmann’s homer made It 3-1 in the 5th before Chase Simpson’s RBI double made it 3-2 in the bottom-half of the inning.
Lincoln (26-27) restored the two-run lead when Randy Norris reached on an error with Skyler Weber standing at 3rd base in the 6th inning.
Simpson – who has three homers, two doubles and six RBIs in the series – tied the game with a two-run homer in the 7th inning.
With runners on the corners and two outs in the 8th, Chuck Taylor hit a come-backer to Carson Lance on the mound. Lance knocked down the ball but his throw to first was wide of Goodheart and resulted in the go-ahead run. The ‘Dogs gave away a multi-run lead for the third time in the last four games after not allowing that to happen at any point during the first 49 games of the season.
Garett Delano allowed two runs over 4 and 1/3 innings, while Carter Hope yielded his first homer of the year – Simpson’s game-tying shot – in the 7th inning.
Welington Dotel went 1-for-5 with a double and now has hits in 11 straight games.
The series continues Saturday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:06 p.m., and pregame coverage will begin at 6:35 p.m. on ESPN Lincoln 101.5 FM/1480 AM.
The Saltdogs are playing their 21st season in Lincoln! Visit saltdogs.com and follow us @saltdogsball on all social media for information regarding tickets and promotions all season long.