Despite jumping out to an early 2-0 lead, the Gary SouthShore RailCats (25-35) faltered down the stretch to the Chicago Dogs (30-30), dropping the second game of the four game set 5-2.
The game began with 3.1 innings of perfection from starting pitcher Edward Cuello. The Gary SouthShore ace retired the first 10 batters of the game, tossing over six innings for a third consecutive start. The right-hander allowed three earned runs but finished with five strikeouts before exiting in the seventh.
The RailCats found some early offense to support him. In the first inning, Gio Díaz worked a one-out walk before Jackson Valera advanced him to second on a single. Jesus Marriaga came through with a base hit of his own, notching his team-best 44th RBI to drive home Díaz and give the ‘Cats an early 1-0 edge.
Gary SouthShore added to that tally in the bottom of the third. Following a Daniel Lingua leadoff single and a groundout that moved him to second, Valera stepped up once again. The first baseman connected on his second single of the game to score Lingua and increase the RailCats advantage to two. Another single in the eighth inning gave Valera his first-ever three-hit game on the South Shore.
However, the Dogs responded in a big way. A Luke Mangieri infield single got them on the board in the fourth, and Matt Bottcher delivered a solo home run in the sixth, tying the game up. Two runs in the seventh provided Chicago their first lead, and they tacked on one more tally in the ninth to close out the victory.
The RailCats are back at it tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. at The Steel Yard for game three of their four-game series against the Dogs. 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.
