Gary SouthShore RailCats’ (25-38) starter Jack Alkire dominated the Cleburne Railroaders (35-26) with a complete game, three-hit outing to take a 7-1 win in game one of a three-game set at the Depot at Cleburne Station in Cleburne, Texas.
In his longest and most efficient outing of the year, Alkire threw a full nine innings of work as he posted a season-best one earned run on just three hits with a career-high 10 strikeouts.
In addition to the career night from Alkire, the bats provided some much-needed run production in the RailCats’ highest-scoring first inning of the season.
Gary SouthShore jumped out to a six-run lead in the first as a one-out rally placed seven straight batters on the basepath. Tommy McCarthy drove in the first run of the game with a two-bagger down the right-field line in the first, and the RailCats would add five more on seven hits in the inning capped off by a Jesus Marriaga single to make it 6-0.
Back-to-back Cleburne doubles would plate one in the bottom of the frame, but it would be the only run of the day.
After the first, Alkire retired 25 of the final 27 batters he would face with one-two-three innings in seven of his nine frames on the day.
Railroaders’ starter Austin Fairchild suffered the loss with three innings of work, allowing seven runs on 10 hits with four walks and three strikeouts.
In relief, Jalen Evans had an impressive professional debut as the 23-year-old righty threw four scoreless innings with two hits and four strikeouts.
Four RailCats had multi-hit efforts as McCarthy, Tom Walraven, Jackson Smith, and Billy Cooke each had two-for days while the former two drove in a run a piece.
Game two between the Gary SouthShore RailCats and the Cleburne Railroaders is scheduled for tomorrow, July 26 at 7:06 p.m. at the Depot at Cleburne Station in Cleburne, Texas.