Rosemont, IL – Utilizing a six-run outburst from the fourth to the sixth inning, the Chicago Dogs (40-37) bested the Gary SouthShore RailCats (33-44) 7-3 in Thursday’s series finale at Impact Field.
John Sheaks got the start for the ‘Cats, and he impressed early on. The right-hander held the Dogs to just one run on one hit through the first three innings.
Although a Luke Mangieri single doubled the Chicago lead, Gary SouthShore’s offense immediately canceled it out and found their way onto the scoreboard in the fifth. Trailing 2-0, Michael Woodworth led off the inning by roping a triple to right field. After a Seth Caddell walk, Daniel Lingua grounded into a fielder’s choice, cutting the deficit in half at 2-1.
However, the Dogs responded in a big way. Five runs over the next two innings to raced them ahead to a 7-1 lead.
The ‘Cats bats would not go down quietly. After the first two batters went down in the seventh, Gary SouthShore orchestrated a two-out rally. Caddell lined a double into the left-center field gap and came around to score the one pitch later thanks to a Lingua single. The next batter, Gio Díaz lined a single down the left field line, and Jackson Valera followed up with a single of his own. The latter brought Lingua home, cutting the Chicago edge to 7-3.
As the offense got back in rhythm, debutant reliever Quincy Jones took over on the mound having signed earlier that day. Entering in the home half of the sixth, Jones delivered 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just two hits while picking up a bases-loaded strikeout.
Nevertheless, the Chicago bullpen closed it out from there securing the win for the Dogs.
The RailCats now return to The Steel Yard tomorrow at 6:45 p.m. to kick off a pivotal three-game set against the Kane County Cougars (38-40). 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.
