The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (36-27) pounded the Gary SouthShore RailCats (24-38) featured by a six-run sixth inning to cap a 9-1 victory and series victory in the three-game finale the Steel Yard in Gary, Indiana.
Both teams got on the board in the first inning as Manuel Boscan smacked a base hit to drive in the first run of the game. Boscan’s day ended in a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-5 with three RBI. The RailCats responded with a run of their own via an RBI double by shortstop Tom Walraven. Walraven went 1-for-4 with that double being his lone hit of the game.
Two more would score for the RedHawks in the fifth due to an outfield collision. Outfielders MJ Rookard and Jesus Marriaga crashed into one another on a fly ball off the bat of Manuel Boscan, causing Correlle Prime and Alex Boxwell to scamper around and score.
The barrage continued in the next inning and the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks blew the ballgame wide open with a sixth-run sixth inning led off by John Silviano’s RBI single. Silviano’s day ended 1-for-5 with an RBI.
Silviano’s sixth-inning base hit marked a base hit in 27 consecutive games, tying a franchise record that stood for over twenty years.
The RedHawks’ attempt at a comeback fell short with two more runs in the top of the eighth as the RailCats would pull away in the bottom half. A solo home run by Jesus Marriaga led off the bottom half-inning to spark a five-run inning and punctuate the victory.
Starting pitcher John Sheaks threw 5.0 innings in a losing effort, allowing one earned run and three runs total.
Fargo-Moorhead starter Bret Helton threw seven innings of one-run baseball and received the win.
After the six-game homestand, the Gary SouthShore RailCats hit the road and travel to Cleburne, Texas for a series against the Cleburne Railroaders. The series opener is scheduled for Tuesday, July 27 at 6:06 p.m. at the Depot at Cleburne Station in Cleburne, Texas.