In the ninth inning of game two at Haymarket Park, Yanio Perez delivered a walk-off RBI-single to plate the winning run to give the Lincoln SaltDogs (43-36) a 7-6 victory over the Gary SouthShore RailCats (32-48) to keep stride in the South Division playoff race.
Despite a RailCats’ run in each of the final three innings, Lincoln’s walk-off sealed the deal to set the table for the series decider in game three.
Tom Walraven was brilliant at the plate for Gary SouthShore in a 3-for-5 effort as he drove in four of the six RailCats’ runs in the loss.
The RailCats took a 3-0 lead in the third after Walreven delivered his first of two doubles in the game, but Linocln would power back in the bottom of the third inning.
Behind six hits and a no-out rally, the SaltDogs would plate five capped off by a Curt Smith three-run homerun to make it 5-3 after three.
Smith had two homers on the day en route to a 2-for-4 line with four RBI. Smith and Perez would drive in all the seven runs for Lincoln in the win.
RailCats’ starter Yoel De Loen and SaltDogs starter John Richy would each earn no decisions on the afternoon while Kevin Escorcia was dealt the loss and James Pugliese got the win, despite a blown save.
The game three rubber match between the Gary SouthShore RailCats and the Lincoln SaltDogs is scheduled for tomorrow, August 15 at 1:05 p.m. at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska.