LINCOLN, Nebraska – Yanio Perez had three RBIs including a walk-off single in the 9th inning, and the Lincoln Saltdogs beat the Gary SouthShore RailCats 7-6 at Haymarket Park on Saturday afternoon.
With one out in the 9th, Perez singled to the base of the wall in right-center — scoring Ryan Long from first base and evening the series at one game apiece.
Curt Smith went 2-for-4 with two homers and four RBIs, including a three-run homer that gave the ‘Dogs a 5-3 lead in a five-run 3rd inning. Smith later hit a solo homer in the 7th – his first multi-homer game of the year – to make it 6-4.
Lincoln (43-36) starter John Richy allowed just three earned runs over seven innings – his third consecutive start allowing three or fewer runs over seven or more innings.
Gary SouthShore got within a run on Hayden Schilling’s RBI single in the 8th inning, and Thomas Walraven drove in his third run of the afternoon with a game-tying double in the 9th inning.
The Saltdogs fell behind 3-0 on an unearned run in the 1st and Walraven’s two-out, two-run double in the 3rd. The ‘Dogs loaded the bases with nobody out before Perez’s two-run single off of third base cut the deficit to one and Smith’s three-run homer gave Lincoln its first lead of the series.
The ‘Dogs are now 17-12 in one-run games and also have three walk-off wins at Haymarket Park in 2021.
The finale of the three-game series is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Pregame coverage will begin at 1:05 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.