Rosemont, IL – In a game where runs were hard to come by, the Gary SouthShore RailCats (33-43) dropped the middle game of a three-game set to the Chicago Dogs (38-37) 3-0 on Wednesday night.
Harrison Francis started on the mound for Gary SouthShore and delivered his fifth quality start of the season. The right-hander fired six innings of three-run ball, accompanied by five strikeouts. Francis now sports a 2.45 ERA in two starts against the Dogs in 2023.
Despite many strong chances, the ‘Cats couldn’t scrape across any runs. Daniel Lingua led off as the first batter of the game and connected on a double into the left-center gap. However, Chicago stranded him at third base.
A few innings later, the Dogs took their first lead. A Payton Eeles two-run single opened the scoring in the bottom of the fourth, placing Chicago ahead 2-0.
In the sixth, the RailCats worked back-to-back base runners stemming from a Gio Díaz walk and Jackson Valera single. Once again, though, Chicago escaped the threat with consecutive outs, keeping their shutout intact.
The Dogs pushed across another run as back-to-back doubles opened the bottom of the seventh, but Gary SouthShore’s bullpen emerged soon after to continue the theme of strong pitching. Oddy Nuñez and Jared Price each fired a hitless and scoreless frame to keep the RailCats within striking distance.
Nevertheless, Chicago’s pitching staff closed the door themselves and kept Gary SouthShore off the scoreboard, securing a victory to even the series.
The RailCats and Dogs head back to Impact Field tomorrow evening at 6:30 p.m. for a series rubber match. 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.
