SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Carson Lance induced a game-ending double play to finish off his third save, and the ‘Dogs held on for a 5-4 win over the Sioux City Explorers at Mercy Field on Saturday night.
Lance recorded the final three outs and the ‘Dogs won the first of three must-win games to end the regular season.
Lincoln (47-51) took a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning. Luke Roskam hit a sacrifice fly before Josh Altmann added a two-out RBI single.
The Explorers (49-49) tied the game in the bottom of the 1st. Danry Vazquez hit an RBI double and Trey Martin tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
Lincoln took a 3-2 lead when Roskam scored on an error in the 3rd inning, and the ‘Dogs added two runs of insurance with Ryan Long hit an RBI single and Rayder Ascanio eventually scored on an error in the 7th inning.
The Explorers got one run back when Chase Harris scored on a passed ball, but Carson Lance worked out of trouble to get Lincoln to the finish line in the 9th inning. After Steffon Moore hit a batter, issued a wild pitch and walked another, Lance forced Dylan Kelly into a fielder’s choice before Chase Harris hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.
The ‘Dogs – now trailing Sioux City by two games with two to play – can qualify for the postseason with wins in each of the final two games, because Lincoln is guaranteed to own the head-to-head tiebreaker if the two teams finish tied at 49-51.
Roskam extended his hitting streak to 12 games, and he now has RBIs in eight consecutive games.
The second-to-last regular season game is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. on Sunday evening. Pregame coverage begins at 3:35 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.