LINCOLN – Derek Gordon pitched a complete game shutout as the Lincoln Saltdogs beat the Salina Stockade 9-0 to complete the series sweep on Thursday night at Haymarket Park.
6,136 fans watched the Saltdogs complete their first series sweep since June 9-11th. It was their first series win since June 19-21st. The win brought the Saltdogs (30-21) to a tie with the Kansas City T-Bones for the lead in the Central Division.
Gordon’s (4-2) nine-inning effort was his team-high third complete game of the season. He tied Mark Hamburger of St. Paul for the most complete games in the league with the win. Gordon has surrendered just one run in his last three starts and has lasted at least seven innings in his last five outings.
The Saltdogs offense started to help Gordon out in the bottom of the third inning. The Saltdogs pushed across two runs on two hits, a hit by pitch and two walks. Christian Ibarra and Curt Smith earned the RBIs on walks with the bases loaded.
Lincoln added a couple more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Joe Robbins started the frame with a single before stealing second base and moving to third on a throwing error. He scored on a Matty Johnson double to make it 3-0. Then, Ibarra hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Dashenko Ricardo for the second run of the inning.
The Saltdogs scored two runs for the third straight time in the following frame. Brandon Jacobs, Randolph Oduber and Robbins all notched base hits to load the bags. Dashenko Ricardo hit a ground ball that was misplayed by the shortstop, allowing two runs to score.
The Stockade pitching staff surrendered three more runs in the sixth inning to complete the scoring. Cesar Valera recorded an RBI triple for the first run while Jacobs knocked in one with a fielder’s choice. Nathaniel Maggio hit a ground ball to first base that scored Jacobs to make it 9-0.
The Saltdogs start the second series of the homestand on Friday against the Cleburne Railroaders (25-28). The two teams have split each of their first two series. First pitch is at 6:45 PM with coverage beginning at 6:15 PM on ESPN 1480 and saltdogs.com.
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