LINCOLN, NE – Brandon Jacobs hit his league-best ninth home run and the Lincoln Saltdogs captured their fourth straight series win with a 4-3 victory over the Cleburne Railroaders on Sunday afternoon.
Tyler Herron earned the win for Lincoln (14-9) in the rubber match. The righty went seven innings and tossed 120 pitches on a 95-degree day. He struck out nine batters compared to just one walk. Jose Jose notched his first save of the season by recording the final four outs of the game.
Patrick Mincey was charged with the loss for the Railroaders (9-13) after allowing four runs over seven innings of work. He fanned seven batters.
The two starters rolled through the first couple of innings. The first 17 batters of the game were retired until Omar Obregon bunted for a base hit in the third inning. After the Obregon hit, Christian Ibarra drew a walk and Chase Simpson ripped a single to open the scoring.
Lincoln’s lead was brief. K.C. Huth reached on an infield single to start the top of the fourth. Patrick Palmeiro drove him in two batters later to tie the game. After another hit, Rafael Palmeiro came up with two runners on and two outs. The four-time MLB All-Star placed a double in front of the right fielder and drove in two more runs to make it 3-1.
The Saltdogs got a run back in the fourth. Curt Smith doubled to start the frame and Brant Whiting singled him home to make it a one-run deficit.
Lincoln regained the lead in the sixth. Nathaniel Maggio laced a two-out single over the shortstop’s head to keep the inning going. Brandon Jacobs turned on the next pitch and belted a two-run shot through the wind to give the Saltdogs the 4-3 lead. It was Jacobs’ seventh home run in the last 11 games and brought his season total to a league-high nine round-trippers.
Scott Kuzminsky recorded two outs in relief for his Saltdogs debut before Jose took over to close the game.
The Saltdogs are perfect in Sunday games, day games and series finales.
The Saltdogs head south next for series against the Texas AirHogs and the Railroaders. First pitch in Grand Prairie is scheduled for 7:05 PM tomorrow with coverage starting at 6:35 PM on ESPN 101.5 FM 1480 AM and 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.