With 81 degrees and a good crowd, the RailCats were back at the Steel Yard trying to get the series victory over the DockHounds a day before the series ended. The RailCats were going to Tai Tiedemann to get the start, and he faced off against Brett Conine.
Josh Altmann started the scoring with a home run, going over the left field wall, and the DockHounds would add another run the next inning after a misplay from Tiedemann. But the ‘Cats captured some momentum when Carlos Rincon connected for his 100th professional home run to cut the lead. Marcos Gonzalez tied it with a double, and he would score on an error.
The scoring didn’t stop for the RailCats. They tacked on two more in the third, and Gonzalez would power his third home run in as many games with a ball going over the center field wall. Another run crossed to draw the game to a 7-3 game.
The DockHounds would not go down easy. Fighting in the top of the sixth inning by scoring three runs, with two coming from a 440-foot home run by Justin Lavey. Josh Smith would take the eighth, and with the bases loaded in a one-run game in the ninth, Smith kick-started a 1-2-3 double play. After an intentional walk, Smith would get Cesar Izturis Jr. to pop out and send the Cats fans home with a smile.
The RailCats now move to 3-5 this year and have won three straight games. They will settle in for a 2:00 game tomorrow, going for their first sweep of the 2024 season, and will be going with Peyton Long for the series finale.
The RailCats are scheduled for a double-header on Memorial Day against the Sioux Falls Canaries, with the first game being scheduled for a 4:00 PM start. Single-game tickets are available by calling 219-882-2255 and www.railcatsbaseball.com.
