CLEBURNE, Texas – Josh Altmann went 3-for-5 and missed a game-tying homer by inches in the 9th inning, but the ‘Dogs left 11 runners on base over the final seven innings in a 4-2 loss to the Cleburne Railroaders at The Depot on Wednesday night.
Altmann hit a double off the top of the wall in left field in the 9th inning for this third hit of the night, but Curt Smith struck out with the tying run in scoring position to end the game.
Lincoln (17-19) fell behind 4-0 in through three innings. Cleburne (20-18) scored first on Hunter Clanin’s sacrifice fly in the 2nd, and Noah Vaughan gave the Railroaders a 3-0 lead with a two-out, two-run homer later in the inning.
Cleburne added a fourth run in the 3rd on Zach Nehrir’s RBI single, but the ‘Dogs got RBI singles from Josh Altmann and David Vidal in the 4th.
Lincoln starter John Richy allowed four runs over five innings in his eighth start of the year, while Tyler Anderson tossed a scoreless 6th inning and Jake Hohensee worked through the 7th and 8th innings for his fourth consecutive scoreless outing, stretching 8.1 innings.
The ‘Dogs have lost eight consecutive road games, and Lincoln will try to stave off a third consecutive sweep on the road tomorrow night at 7:06 p.m. Pregame coverage starts 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.