LINCOLN, Nebraska – The Saltdogs hit four combined homers, and Lincoln powered its way to a doubleheader sweep of the Sioux City Explorers at Haymarket Park on Thursday night.
Game 1: Lincoln 4, Sioux City 3
Welington Dotel hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning of his Saltdogs debut, and the ‘Dogs held on for a 4-3 win in the first game of the doubleheader Thursday evening.
Dotel hit a two-run homer – his first in Lincoln – to flip a one-run deficit into a one-run lead, and Lincoln (7-3) won its fourth straight series opener.
Sioux City (3-7) hit three solo homers – Nick Franklin in the 1st and 3rd innings, and Gabe Snyder in the 2nd – but the ‘Dogs got a scoreless inning from Steffon Moore in the 6th and Brandon Cunniff picked up his third save with a scoreless 7th, and the ‘Dogs rallied for a third come-from-behind win in 2022.
Tucker Smith allowed three runs but settled in and pitched five innings, allowing seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
The ‘Dogs picked up a seventh win in their first 10 games for only the second time in franchise history, and first since 2006.
Game 2: Lincoln 9, Sioux City 2
Josh Altmann hit his first homer of 2022, Garett Delano hit his second as a pro, and the ‘Dogs rolled to a 9-2 win in the second game of the doubleheader.
Altmann and Delano hit a pair of two-run homers in Lincoln’s five-run fourth inning. Delano gave the ‘Dogs (8-3) a 5-2 lead before Altmann followed Ryan Long’s RBI double with a two-run shot it make it 8-2.
Sioux City opened the scoring in the second inning with back-to-back homers Sebastian Zawada and Gabe Snyder, but Matt Goodheart tied the game with a two-run double and Delano added an RBI single in the bottom-half.
Kyle Kinman allowed two runs on two hits over five innings in his third start, while Carter Hope tossed a scoreless sixth and Jesse Stallings went 1-2-3 in the seventh.
Lincoln’s 8-3 start is tied for the best in franchise history, and the ‘Dogs have won each of the first four series of 2022.
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.