KANSAS CITY, Kansas – James Pugliese saved both games of a double-header, and the ‘Dogs swept both games from the Kansas City Monarchs at Legends Field on Friday night.
Pugliese became the first Lincoln reliever since J.R. Bunda in 2018 to save three consecutive games, and the Saltdogs have now won six of seven games against Kansas City this year.
GAME 1
Josh Altmann hit his second homer in as many games, and the Saltdogs held on for a 7-5 win in the first game.
Altmann’s two-run homer came in Lincoln’s five-run 6th inning, and after carrying a six-run lead into the 7th inning the Monarchs put the tying run at second before Pugliese earned his second straight save.
Forrestt Allday opened the scoring with a solo homer in the 1st, and Jan Hernandez tied the game with a solo homer in the bottom half.
Lincoln scored five times in the 6th, including Altmann’s homer and run-scoring hits from David Vidal and Yanio Perez.
Keenan Bartlett was two outs away from his first-ever complete game, but allowed three runs over 6.1 innings.
GAME 2
Lincoln scored two unearned runs in the 1st, and held on for a 2-1 win in the second game.
Curt Smith opened the scoring with an RBI single and Ryan Long made it 2-0 on a sacrifice fly.
Greg Minier allowed just one run over four innings in his second professional start, while Carter Hope, Logan Lombana and James Pugliese combined for three scoreless innings in relief.
David Vidal’s seven-game hitting streak came to an end, but Josh Altmann worked two walks for the first time since May 27. Justin Byrd singled and scored, and Forrestt Allday went 1-for-4 with a double.
Pugliese became the first Saltdog to record saves in three consecutive games since J.R. Bunda did so from May 20-May 23, 2018.
The Saltdogs are celebrating their 20th season at Haymarket Park this season! All ticket and promotional information can be viewed at saltdogs.com.