LINCOLN – Seth Webster pitched seven scoreless innings as the Lincoln Saltdogs dispatched of the Cleburne Railroaders 5-1 for their sixth straight win.
The Sunday afternoon victory gives the series win to the Saltdogs (33-21) who split the first two series against the Railroaders (25-31). The six-game streak ties the previous season high which Lincoln managed two different times.
Webster’s quality start is his team-high seventh of the season. Cleburne managed seven hits against Webster but all of them were singles. The sidearm pitcher struck out one batter and did not issue a walk.
The Saltdogs broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning. Randolph Oduber started the inning with a walk and Joe Robbins followed with a single. Oduber moved to third base on an error with Dashenko Ricardo coming up. The Saltdogs’ all-star catcher delivered with a deep ground ball that scored Oduber.
Lincoln added to the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Brandon Jacobs came up with a two-out single to keep the inning going. Then, Nathaniel Maggio turned on a pitch and hit a towering home run over the right field fence to make it 3-0. It was Maggio’s first professional home run.
The Saltdogs added a couple of additional runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Matty Johnson, who made a run-saving diving catch earlier in the game, started the frame with a double. After a Cesar Valera walk, Curt Smith singled in Johnson for a run. Later, Randolph Oduber hit a sacrifice fly to right field that knocked in Valera for a five-run advantage.
Cleburne was able to score one run on a hit and three walks in the top of the ninth inning before reliever Dimitri Kourtis was pulled from the game. Closer Michael Wagner notched his 11th save of the season by getting the final out.
The Saltdogs try for a sweep of the homestand on Monday night against Cleburne. First pitch is at 6:45 PM with coverage beginning at 6:15 PM on ESPN 1480 and saltdogs.com.
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