GRAND PRAIRIE, TX – Randolph Oduber was a few feet short of hitting for the cycle and Kyle Kinman was one inning from a complete game as the Lincoln Saltdogs dismissed the Texas AirHogs 8-1 on Friday night.
Kinman earned the win after going a season-high eight innings and giving up just one run on five hits. He walked four batters compared to seven strikeouts. The lefty picked off a runner and induced three double plays on the night.
Oduber was 4-6 with two RBIs and two runs scored. The slugger needed a home run to accomplish the cycle in the ninth inning and powered a ball off the top of the fence for a double.
The Saltdogs (41-42) started their production in the third inning. Oduber doubled and the next two batters walked to bring up Daniel Herrera. The rookie catcher slapped a single to plate two runs and give the ‘Dogs the lead.
They kept it up in the fourth. Alex Glenn singled to start the inning and moved to scoring position on a bunt. After an error kept the inning alive, Oduber singled Glenn home to make it 3-0.
Texas (21-62) scored its lone run in the bottom of the fourth. Casio Grider began the inning with a triple and scored when Liang Pei hit him home.
The Saltdogs’ bats continued to rake in the sixth. Curt Smith blasted a solo homer over the left field fence to bring the lead back to three runs. The dinger extended the Saltdogs’ streak to nine consecutive games with home runs.
The two-out production crept into the eighth inning. Oduber tripled and came home on a Smith base hit. The next three Saltdogs notched singles to score another run. Then, the AirHogs hit Glenn with a pitch to tally another score and make it 7-1.
The final run came in the ninth. Christian Ibarra doubled to start the frame and scored on Oduber near-homer. Reliever Derek Gordon tossed a perfect bottom of the ninth to finish the game.
The Saltdogs scored all but one of their runs with two outs.
The ‘Dogs and ‘Hogs match up again on Saturday night. First pitch is at 7:05 PM with coverage beginning at 6:35 PM on ESPN 101.5 FM 1480 AM and http://www.espn1480.com/lincoln-saltdogs-baseball/.
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.