LINCOLN, NE – The Saltdogs (26-42) rallied with two runs in the bottom of the eighth innings as they beat Chicago (34-33) to take the series by a final of 3-2.
OF Matt Pita was used as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs. He doubled off the top of the wall in left field to drive in the go-ahead run. Pita has four hits, three of them for extra-base hits, in the series.
INF Spencer Henson hit his eighth homer of the year, a solo homer, to take the team lead.
OF Kyle Battle reached four times on a walk, a fielder’s choice, and a pair of singles including scoring the game-winning run. He also stole his first two bases in a Saltdogs uniform.
RHP Karan Patel grabbed his third quality start going 6.0 innings giving up five hits, two runs, both od them unearned, one walk, and struck out a season-high six batters.
Chicago opened the scoring for the first time this series with a two-run homer in the top of the first.
Lincoln would respond with Henson’s solo homer in the bottom of the fourth, an inning that featured four Saltdogs hits.
Pitchers dueled on either side until the bottom of the eighth inning when OF Zane Zurbrugg hit his third homer of the season tying the game at two apiece. Moments later after Battle reached, Pita’s pinch-hit RBI double gave Lincoln the lead for good.
RHP Brandon McCabe picked up his third save of the season going 1-2-3 in the ninth.
Lincoln goes for the series sweep on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 from Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Catch every Saltdogs game home and away on KFOR FM 101.5/1240 AM or stream live for free on aabaseball.tv, new for the 2024 season.