LAREDO, Texas — Jon Gaston homered again, Kevin McGovern fanned seven again, and the bullpen blew the lead again as the Laredo Lemurs (6-7) came back to edge the Saltdogs (4-9) 7-6 in front of 2,254 fans at Uni-Trade Stadium Wednesday night.
The Saltdogs scored five runs on two hits, with three walks and three errors in the top of the seventh to take a 6-4 lead.
Laredo then plated two runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game, and went ahead on an Abel Nieves two-out single in the eighth.
B.J. Hyatt (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth to get the win. Conor Spink (0-1) allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings of relief to take the loss. John Brebbia threw a perfect ninth to record his second straight save.
Gaston’s solo home run in the first inning, his second in as many games and his fourth of the year, gave Lincoln a 1-0 lead.
Laredo then smacked a pair of two-run home runs in the third to go up 4-1, thanks to the bats of Juan Silverio and Tony Delmonico.
McGovern pitched six innings, allowing four runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking two. The Lincoln lefty did not allow a hit or walk after the third, and has fanned seven in each of his first three starts.
The Saltdogs went 0-6 on their Texas road trip, and held the lead in all six of the games, losing by 7-6 three times. The club has now dropped seven in a row.
The ‘Dogs return home Friday night at 7:05 p.m. to host Wichita at Haymarket Park, with a fireworks show after the game. Radio coverage begins at 6:35 p.m. on KFOR 1240. Get your tickets now at www.saltdogs.com.