LINCOLN, NE – The Lincoln Saltdogs smacked eight doubles and cruised to an 11-0 win over the Texas AirHogs on Bark in the Park Night at Haymarket Park.
Saltdogs (46-46) starting pitcher Joe Bircher followed up his complete game, 152-pitch outing from last week with another impressive start. The lefty from Omaha tossed six shutout innings and limited Texas (24-68) to just two hits. He struck out a season-high eight batters and did not issue a walk.
The Saltdogs broke the ice offensively in the third inning. Alex Glenn walked and Ivan Marin singled to start the inning. A double-play ball moved Glenn to third and he scored on a wild pitch.
More runs came in the fourth inning. The first two Saltdogs reached base and Cesar Valera hit one in with a double. The next run scored on a wild pitch before Dashenko Ricardo sent Valera home with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
AirHogs starter Miguel Rosario held the ‘Dogs offense back until Meng Xing relieved him in the seventh inning. Lincoln touched up Xing for five runs on five hits. Curt Smith and Ricardo each recorded two-RBI hits.
The Saltdogs completed the scoring in the eighth. Christian Ibarra walked and Brandon Jacobs doubled to bring up Randolph Oduber with two outs. The right fielder belted another double to plate two runs and make it 11-0.
Lincoln tied its season-high in margin of victory with the blowout win. The ‘Dogs pitched their second shutout in the last four games and their third of the year.
The Saltdogs try for a series-clinching win on Monday. First pitch is at 6:45 PM with coverage beginning at 4:35 PM on ESPN 101.5 FM 1480 AM and http://saltdogs.com/stream.
For more information on the Saltdogs, follow the team on Facebook and Twitter/Instagram @saltdogsball. For ticket information visit https://saltdogs.com/tickets/ or call (402) 474-2255.