ROSEMONT, Illinois – Nate Samson had a double and an RBI single, and the Saltdogs took a third straight season opener with a 5-3 win against the Chicago Dogs at Impact Field on Friday night.
Samson’s RBI single opened the scoring in the 3rd inning, and Luke Roskam’s two-run single later made it 3-0.
Chicago got a run back off of Abdallah Aris in the bottom of the 3rd when Matt Botcher’s RBI single cut Lincoln’s lead to two.
The Dogs got within one on Ryan Lidge’s sacrifice fly in the 6th, but back-to-back RBI singles from Matt Goodheart and Aaron Takacs restored Lincoln’s three-run lead in the 8th inning.
Chicago got one back on Braxton Davidson’s RBI double in the 8th, but Matt Cronin worked a 1-2-3 9th inning with two strikeouts to pick up his first save of the year.
Roskam reached twice and had two RBIs, while Drew Devine had two hits in the eight spot of the order. Connor Panas had a hit and two walks.
R.J. Freure earned the win with two innings in relief, while David Zoz pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Steffon Moore allowed one run but struck out three in one inning.
Abdallah Aris allowed one run over four innings in his first start of the year.
Friday marked the first time in franchise history that the Saltdogs have won three consecutive season openers, and Lincoln is 3-0 under manager Brett Jodie in the first game of the year.
The series continues Saturday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and pregame coverage begins at 5:30 on KFOR FM 101.5/1240 AM.
The Saltdogs welcome the Gary Southshore RailCats to Haymarket Park for the home opener on Friday, May 19! Single-game tickets for all 50 home games are on sale now. Reserve your tickets now by calling 402-474-BALL (2255) or order on-line at Saltdogs.com.