RailCats Blanked by Saints, 4-0, in Game 1 of North Division Series
September 5, 2018 - American Association (AA)
Gary SouthShore Railcats News Release
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Eight innings of shutout baseball from Chris Nunn and two solo homers from St. Paul was too much for Gary to overcome in Game 1 of the North Division Series as the RailCats were blanked, 4-0, on a cool Wednesday night at CHS Field. Gary had just five total baserunners on the night, only two of which reached third base, in the two-hour, eight-minute playoff contest.
St. Paul (59-41, 1-0) took the opening lead of the North Division Series with a pair of runs in the first. Kyle Barrett recorded the first hit of the series with a double down the left field line before Burt Reynolds clobbered a two-run home run down the left field line into the Gary bullpen to give the Saints the lead for good.
The Saints increased their lead to 3-0 with another run in the second. Justin O'Conner doubled off the top of the center field wall with one out before moving up to third on Dan Motl's groundout. With O'Conner on third and Joey Wong at the plate, Keaton Steele threw a wild pitch past catcher Wilfredo Gimenez to the backstop, allowing O'Conner to score from third.
St. Paul went up by four on Brady Shoemaker's solo home run to right-center to begin the sixth. The homer was the Saints' second of the night and Shoemaker's 15th of the season (including the playoffs).
Steele (0-1) was charged with the loss for Gary (59-41, 0-1) despite going the distance. The right-hander allowed four runs on seven hits, walked two and struck out three.
Nunn (1-0) retired nine of the first 10 he faced and set down eight in a row at one point in the win. The southpaw yielded just three hits, one walk and six strikeouts. Beck Wheeler retired all three RailCat hitters he faced in the top of the ninth, one via a strikeout, in a non-save situation.
Game two of the North Division Series at CHS Field is on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. RailCats LHP Lars Liguori (4-7, 3.52) counters against Saints RHP Eddie Medina (9-5, 2.80) in game two.
Playoff tickets for game three of the North Division Series against St. Paul are available online at railcatsbaseball.com with tickets starting at $7. Jared Shlensky and Brennan Mense bring you all 100 RailCats game this season on WEFM (95.9 FM) and online at railcatsbaseball.com. Ticket packages for the 2018 Gary SouthShore RailCats season are available online at railcatsbaseball.com and can also be purchased by calling the RailCats ticket line at (219) 882-BALL. The RailCats box office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
American Association Stories from September 5, 2018
- RailCats Blanked by Saints, 4-0, in Game 1 of North Division Series - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- You Will Get Nunn and Like It, Saints Blank RailCats in Game 1 of North Division Series - St. Paul Saints
- American Association Honors Saints Catcher Justin O'Conner as Defensive Player of the Year - St. Paul Saints
- Explorers' Vernia Named Rookie of the Year - Sioux City Explorers
- Dykstra and Sioux City Lay Claim to Game One - Kansas City Monarchs
- Dykstra Outduels Collier in Game One Victory - Sioux City Explorers
- American Association Game Recap - AA
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