LINCOLN, Nebraska – Yanio Perez hit a go-ahead solo homer in the 8th, James Pugliese worked out of a jam for his 25th save in the 9th, and the Lincoln Saltdogs rallied to beat the Sioux Falls Canaries 4-3 at Haymarket Park on Sunday afternoon.
Perez’s one-out blast was one of three Lincoln (47-39) homers on the year, and Pugliese started a 1-6-3 double play with runners on the corners and one out in the 9th to clinch the series after losing the opener on Friday.
Sioux Falls (34-53) opened the scoring on Mitch Glasser’s RBI single and Jabari Henry’s RBI groundout in the 3rd, while David Vidal’s leadoff homer in the 3rd made it 2-1.
The Canaries loaded the bases with nobody out in the 5th, but scored just once on Daryl Myers’s RBI groundout. In the bottom of the 5th, Skyler Weber made it a one-run game with a solo homer – Lincoln’s 100th of the season.
After the Lincoln bullpen retired nine in a row, the ‘Dogs had runners on the corners with one out in the 7th inning. Forrestt Allday hit a ground ball towards short that slipped under Angelo Altavilla’s glove and into left-center for an error to tie the game.
Garett Delano allowed two runs with four hits, one walk and seven strikeouts over four innings, while the Lincoln bullpen gave up just one run over the final five innings. Walter Borkovich went 1-2-3 in the 7th, and Carson Lance picked up his third win after a scoreless 8th.
The ‘Dogs took eight of 12 games from Sioux Falls this season, and Lincoln is now 18-12 in one-run games.
Lincoln now hits the road for the final three road games of the regular season – a three-game series against the Chicago Dogs at Impact Field. The trip is Lincoln’s first to Rosemont, Ill. since the final series of 2018. First pitch 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.