A trio of arms combined to hold the Gary SouthShore RailCats offense to five hits as the Sioux City Explorers opened the series with a 5-0 victory.
Runs in the second, third, fifth, and sixth provided all the offense that starting pitcher Patrick Ledet needed, as he worked seven shutout frames for his first win of the season.
Gabe Snyder got the scoring started in the second inning with an opposite-field home run, and former Major Leaguer Nick Franklin doubled the Explorers’ advantage in the third through a two-out run-scoring single.
Franklin teamed up with Chase Harris to put the team’s third tally on the board in the fifth. Harris’ bunt single and a wild pitch shortly thereafter set the stage for Franklin’s second RBI base hit of the game.
Harris struck once again in the bottom of the sixth for a pair of runs. Following two one-out walks, he came through with a two-out, two-run single to round off Sioux City’s day at the plate.
Though it did not result in any runs, the RailCats lineup showed some positive signs. Sam Abbott led off the top of the second by grooving a hard-hit double to right field. Zach Racusin, Alec Olund, Chris Burgess, and Zach Welz recorded hits while Michael Woodworth drew two walks.
On the mound, Steven Colon made RailCats history by becoming the youngest player (21 years, 342 days) and the first player born in the 2000s to suit up for the team. He tossed a perfect eighth inning in his Gary SouthShore debut, striking out the first batter he faced.
The RailCats have a chance to level the series against the Explorers tomorrow as they take the field at 6:05 p.m. at Mercy Field. All the action can be streamed on www.aabaseball.tv, 95.9 WEFM, and the Gary SouthShore RailCats Broadcast Network through the Mixlr app.