LINCOLN, NE – The Lincoln Saltdogs beat the Texas AirHogs 16-6 in a bizarre game on Friday at Haymarket Park.
Lincoln (37-40) scored 16 runs on 12 hits. They smacked four homers, drew a season-high 12 walks and Texas (19-58) pitchers hit three batters.
It all started with the first batter of the game. AirHogs lefty Steward Ijames blasted a home run to begin things.
Then, Miguel Rosario went to the mound in the bottom half of the first. The Texas starter let the first eight Saltdogs hitters reach base and was pulled from the game before recording an out. Lincoln scored six runs on just one hit, a Brandon Jacobs homer, in the inning. Every batter reached base in the first trip through the order but reliever Conner Camacho struck out three straight to retire the side.
Texas made it a close game in the top of the third. Dillon Thomas drove in two runs on a double and Correlle Prime sent home another on a single. Greg Golson notched a two-out hit to drive in another run to make it 6-5.
The Saltdogs distanced themselves in the bottom of the inning. The Saltdogs tallied six runs on five hits and sent 10 batters to the plate. Curt Smith blasted the second Saltdogs grand slam of the season. The team led 12-5 after the third.
They continued to produce runs in the fourth. Alex Glenn led off the inning with a homer and Ivan Marin followed with a double. Randolph Oduber drove him home three batters later with a sacrifice fly to make it 14-5.
The Saltdogs kept scoring in the sixth. Smith drew a walk to bring T.J. Bennett to the plate. The lefty crushed a two-run homer to give the ‘Dogs an 11-run lead.
Texas plated a run in the seventh off an RBI single from Han Xiao to complete the scoring.
Saltdogs starter Brad Thoutt tossed the first three innings and battled an injured thumb. Derek Gordon earned the win by sending down all six batters he faced. Dan Johnson picked up his first save by tossing four innings of relief to finish the game.
The Saltdogs drew a season-high 11 walks, tied a season-high with 16 runs scored and equaled their season-high with four home runs in the game.
The Saltdogs try to clinch the series win on Saturday. First pitch is at 7:05 PM with coverage beginning at 6:35 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.