GARY, Indiana – Ryan Long hit his 15th homer, Garett Delano allowed just one run in his first start as a professional, and the Saltdogs beat the Gary SouthShore RailCats 8-3 in the series opener at U.S. Steel Yard on Friday night.
Long’s two-run homer gave Lincoln (38-33) a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning, and Delano allowed just one runs on two hits with no walks and four strikeouts working with a pitch count in his first start.
The ‘Dogs took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd when Zak Taylor and Gunnar Buhner hit back-to-back RBI singles, and Long’s two-run homer followed Justin Byrd’s two-out RBI single in the 4th.
After Gary SouthShore (29-44) scored single runs in the 4th, 6th and 7th innings, the ‘Dogs added three more in the 8th inning. Josh Altmann extended his hitting streak to 11 with an RBI single, and Curt Smith hit a two-run double to restore Lincoln’s five-run lead.
Jake Hohensee earned his fourth win of the year, allowing one run over 2.2 innings, while Josh Norwood picked up his first professional save with one run allowed over the final three innings.
Altmann now has a 33-game on-base streak – the third-longest in the league this year – while Yanio Perez and Zak Taylor each collected three hits.
Curt Smith had two more hits and is batting .400 since July 14th, while Buhner reached twice out of the nine spot.
The ‘Dogs have won nine of their last 11 road games with a plus-42 run differential over that span, and Lincoln is now just one game under .500 away from Haymarket Park this year.
The ‘Dogs and RailCats continue their three-game series Saturday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m., while pregame coverage will begin at 3:40 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.