'Cats drop third straight
Published on June 24, 2008 under Northern League (NL)
Gary SouthShore Railcats News Release
GARY, Ind. - The Gary SouthShore RailCats used a three-run third inning to open a 4-2 lead, but the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks scored the next six runs, pulling away for an 11-7 win Tuesday night in front of 2,293 fans at U. S. Steel Yard.
The RedHawks scored in each of the last five innings and put runs on the board against all four RailCats pitchers, including starter Drew Dickinson (2-2), who surrendered five earned runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings. The RailCats did some hitting of their own - Cristian Guerrero and Eric Blakeley homered - but could not keep pace with Fargo and lost for the third straight game.
Fargo-Moorhead scored runs in each of the first two innings before the RailCats got on the board in the bottom of the second. With two outs, Blakeley drove a Billy Weitzman pitch out to left for his first home run of the year and just his second as a RailCat. Blakeley finished the night 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, snapping out of an ugly 3-for-36 slump.
The RailCats took the lead in the bottom of the third with another two-out rally off Weitzman. Jay Pecci doubled with the bases empty and moved up to third when Steve Haake and Mike Reese followed with walks. That brought Tanner Townsend to the plate, and the RailCats third baseman doubled to left to drive in two, his 33rd and 34th runs batted in this year. Blakeley followed Townsend with a single to drive in the third run of the inning.
From there, however, it was all RedHawks. Fargo took the lead for good with three runs in the fifth - capped by a two-run Jeff Eure double - and added one in the sixth, two in the seventh, two in the eighth and another in the ninth against RailCats relievers Matt Brinkmann, Brian Halford and Brandon Higelin.
The RailCats scored an unearned run in the seventh and put a thrill into the U. S. Steel Yard crowd in the eighth when Guerrero unloaded on a Scott Koerber pitch and hit a moon-bound home run to left. The blast carried over the 50-foot screen above the left-field fence and onto 4th Avenue, staying just inside of the foul pole down the line for a two-run shot, Guerrero's third of the year.
Fargo's 11 runs came on 15 hits and secured a series win for the RedHawks, the first time any team has won a series from the RailCats since Kansas City took 2-of-3 in late May. The RailCats' three-game losing streak is their longest since a five-game skid last month, and with Winnipeg's extra-inning win late Tuesday, the RailCats have fallen out of first place in the Northern League for the first time since June 18.
Weitzman (1-0) earned the win in his first professional outing since 2004, allowing four earned runs on six hits in 5.0 innings. Carlo Cota had three hits and Kole Zimmerman had four RBIs to lead the RedHawk attack.
The RailCats (20-17) and RedHawks (19-17) will close out the three-game series at U. S. Steel Yard Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Billy Phillips (1-4, 4.97 ERA) will take on Fargo's Brett Lawson (3-0, 4.24). That game, as always, will be broadcast live on WEFM, 95.9 FM, and online at www.railcatsbaseball.com.
Northern League Stories from June 24, 2008
- Fish Outlast Bones to Take Series Opener in 11 - Kansas City Monarchs
- 'Cats drop third straight - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- Flyers offense held in check in loss - Schaumburg Flyers
- JackHammers win tight pitcher's duel - Joliet JackHammers
- T-Bones Add Pitcher to Staff - Kansas City Monarchs
- Metheny and Mumma Named Northern League Player and Pitcher of the Week - NL
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