LINCOLN, NE – The Lincoln Saltdogs continued their recent offensive outburst by drilling the Cleburne Railroaders 13-3 in front of 4,337 fans at Haymarket Park.
A day after scoring 13 runs on 17 hits, the ‘Dogs tallied 13 runs on 18 hits. The hit total equals the team’s previous season-high set on June 3rd at Sioux Falls. Every Saltdogs (48-47) batter notched a hit and the top four in the lineup went 11-18 with eight RBIs.
The victory propelled the Saltdogs back over .500. The team boasts a winning record for the first time since July 22.
The game looked to be a slugfest in favor of the Railroaders (30-64) in the first inning. Cleburne tallied three hits to start the contest before Patrick Palmeiro came to the plate. Saltdogs starter Brad Thoutt induced a double play to trade a run for two outs and ended up getting out to the side.
Lincoln answered with instant offense. Christian Ibarra started the home half with a solo home run. It was his 19th blast of the season and his eighth home run to lead off an inning.
Thoutt settled in after the first. The righty earned his third straight win by lasting five innings and giving up just three runs.
The Saltdogs gave the rookie pitcher the lead in the third inning. Alex Glenn singled to start the inning. After an out, four straight batters registered hits to score three runs and make it 4-1.
After Cleburne cut the lead to one run on a two-run shot from Angel Rosa, Lincoln doubled down. They plated two runs in the fifth on doubles from Randolph Oduber and Curt Smith. Then, they poured it on in the seventh. Lincoln tallied seven runs on seven hits to establish a 13-3 lead. The ‘Dogs smacked four doubles and Glenn lifted a homer in the mammoth inning.
Eric Wooten, Derek Gordon and Cortland Cox combined to throw four shutout innings of relief for the Saltdogs.
Lincoln left only two runners on base. Three nights after recording eight doubles, the ‘Dogs collected seven two-baggers. Wednesday marked the third straight game in which the Saltdogs hit multiple home runs.
The Saltdogs try for a series-clinching win on Thursday. 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.