One strike separated the Gary SouthShore RailCats (39-55) from a loss Wednesday night at Impact Field. However, an improbable ninth-inning rally paired with a three-run 10th inning led to a 7-4 victory over the Chicago Dogs (52-42) Wednesday night.
The RailCats began the game in an emphatic way. After an error allowed Gio Díaz to reach second base as the game’s first batter, Jackson Valera launched a two-run home run to left field to fire them in front right away in the top of the first.
That gave way to another strong outing from starting pitcher Harrison Francis. The right-hander threw four shutout innings while picking up three strikeouts, stranding seven Chicago base runners as he navigated his way through multiple high-leverage spots. In four starts against the Dogs this season, the right-hander sports a 1.29 ERA.
Shortly after his departure, though, Chicago answered back. A fifth-inning grand slam turned a two-run deficit into a two-run lead, placing them ahead 4-2.
Nevertheless, the ‘Cats refused to go away. Francisco Del Valle doubled to begin the sixth inning. He came around to score on the second error in center field, a dropped fly ball off Marcos Gonzalez’s bat. That promptly cut the Chicago lead to 4-3.
The score remained there thanks to the Gary SouthShore bullpen. Aaron Philips fired two scoreless frames before handing the ball to Jack Eisenbarger. The southpaw threw a zero on the board in the eighth to give way to a dramatic ninth.
Down to their final two outs, Gonzalez kicked off the RailCat rally, earning a one-out walk. Even as the Dogs quickly recorded the second out and brought the ‘Cats down to their final strike, Miguel Sierra came through. The shortstop lined a double into left-center field, and a nifty slide at home plate helped Gonzalez around the tag, tying the game at four.
All-Star DJ Wilkinson entered in the bottom of the ninth and shut down Chicago’s walk-off threat. With the potential-winning run at second base, Wilkinson notched back-to-back strikeouts to send the game to extra innings.
The Gary SouthShore offense continued their clutch ways in the top of the 10th. As Thomas Greely went out to second base representing the extra-innings baserunner, a Will Decker sacrifice bunt immediately advanced him to third, and Díaz roped a single into center field to score him, supplying the RailCats with a 5-4 lead.
Gary SouthShore loaded the bases shortly thereafter before finding another timely knock. Jesus Marriaga, the team’s RBI leader, drove in runs 64 and 65 with a double down the left field line, his 100th hit of the season, upping their advantage to 7-4.
Wilkinson returned to the mound in the 10th and delivered a 1-2-3 frame, finishing off the thrilling comeback victory.
The RailCats head back to Impact Field to go for a sweep against the Dogs tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. marking the final game against their East Division rivals in 2023. All the action will be streamed on www.aabaseball.tv and broadcast over the radio on 95.9 WEFM and the Gary SouthShore RailCats Broadcast Network via the Mixlr app.
