
Behind Four Home Runs, Dogs Win a Nailbiter against Cleburne
Published on July 23, 2022 under American Association (AA)
Chicago Dogs News Release
ROSEMONT, Ill. - It was a night of milestones and late-game heroics for the Chicago Dogs, who win game one of their series against the Cleburne RailRoaders, 7-6.
There were two clear stars of the night for Chicago: K.C. Hobson and Grant Kay. Hobson hammered his 200th professional career home run in the first inning, which was a straight line drive into the right field bleachers. The first baseman ended 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Hobson held the moment of the game and Kay won it. The all-star second baseman came up huge with a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning to put the Dogs up one. Kay finished with two total home runs on the night to raise his season total to 13.
This series was anticipated to be a tight battle each night, as both sides boast some of the best bats and bullpens in the league. The opener lived up to the hype from the jump, with nine runs scored over the first two innings.
The RailRoaders flexed what their lineup can do immediately. Center fielder Zach Nehrir hit a double and third baseman Chase Simpson loaded the bases with a walk. Red hot Kacy Clemens, hitting .558 in his last 10 games, extended his hitting streak to 20 with a RBI single.
With a 0-2 count and two outs, starter Kyle Murphy walked catcher Hector Sanchez to bring in another run and make the score 2-0.
Chicago responded with two runs off the Hobson home run. Hobson earned his 200th home run in his 13th professional season. As he rounded third base, he high-fived his manager and father: Butch Hobson. Butch has been, as he puts it, "K.C.'s hitting coach his whole life" and described the home run as a special moment for him.
The moment was grand, but there was still a game to be played and a tight one at that. Cleburne added another pair of runs off two sacrifice flies to go up 4-2.
Chicago responded with three more runs. Kay led off the frame with a home run that no only scaled the left field fence, but the entire Impact Field scoreboard. The Home Run Derby participant nonchalantly dropped his bat to the ground and trotted around the bases.
"That was probably the farthest ball I've ever hit," Kay concluded after the game.
With two runners on later in the inning, center fielder Michael Crouse skied a ball off the right field corner that took a bounce in his favor. Crouse sprinted to third base and ended up with a two RBI triple to bring the Dogs the lead, 5-4.
The early fireworks were suddenly dimmed. Murphy began to work through the next two innings and hold Cleburne scoreless in both.
Chicago tacked on another run in the fifth inning courtesy of a Stevie Wilkerson home run. The solo shot was Wilkerson's fourth home run of the month and proved to be incredibly valuable in the later innings.
Joe Cavallaro tossed two perfect innings to continue his dominant stretch, but the game began to become a bit shaky in the seventh when Ryan Clark uncharacteristically walked three straight batters with two outs. Chicago turned to lefty Kevin Marnon for the third out and on a 2-2 count, Marnon blew a ball past Sanchez to get out of the inning unscaved.
The same luck did not fall in the eighth, however. Shortstop Nick Shumpert reached on a walk and, in classic Cleburne fashion, they used the hit and run to score Shumpert from first from a Chuck Taylor single. Cleburne leads the American Association with 117 stolen bases this season, 29 more than the second place Dogs.
With two outs and Taylor at second, Butch Hobson turned to his closer Brian Schlitter for a four out save. Schlitter got the ground ball he was looking for from Nehrir, but the throw from Harrison Smith bounced in the dirt and into foul territory. This allowed Taylor to hustle home and score easily to tie the game up.
Right-handed Nick Gardewine entered the game in the eighth and struck out both Hobson and Wilkerson. Gardewine, a Dallas native, has been part of a stellar RailRoaders bullpen and held a 2.77 ERA through 24 appearances. Yet on the first pitch he saw, Kay sent a fastball over the left field wall in a hurry to give the lead right back to Chicago.
Schlitter came back on for the ninth and made sure this game would go on no longer. He struck out the ever-so-dangerous Clemens and got a 4-6-3 double play to end the game with a 7-6 win.
Chicago moves to a clean 40-20 record three-fifths of the way through the year. The record is tied for the league's best with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. The Dogs will trot out lefty Jeff Kinley for his fourth start of the year. Kinley has provided three solid outings to begin his professional career as a starting pitcher, but got roughed up for five runs in his last start against the RedHawks.
American Association Stories from July 23, 2022
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