NL Gary SouthShore Railcats

RailCats Split Twinbill; Nine-Game Win Streak Snapped in Finale

Published on August 6, 2008 under Northern League (NL)
Gary SouthShore Railcats News Release


GARY, Ind. - The Gary SouthShore RailCats set a franchise record with their ninth win in a row, starting a Wednesday doubleheader in front of 5,508 fans at U. S. Steel Yard with a 2-1 win over the Joliet JackHammers, only to see their winning streak end with an 8-7 loss in the finale.

Tanner Townsend was the hero in the first game of the doubleheader, hitting a two-run home run off Aaron Trolia (8-5) in the bottom of the sixth inning to put the RailCats in front 2-1. Townsend's homer was his career-high 13 th of the season and gave the RailCats their second straight last at bat win. Jay Pecci singled to lead off the inning against Trolia, and Aaron Cook pitched a 1-2-3 top of the seventh for his first RailCats save.

Trolia finished the game with a terrific line, pitching all six innings and striking out nine without allowing a walk, but Townsend's home run still made a loser out of the right-hander. Travis Kerber made his first start of 2008 for the RailCats, lasting into the fifth inning and striking out five. Kerber allowed only one run, coming in the third when the JackHammers ripped off three straight two-out singles, but that run held up until Townsend's homer in the sixth. Brandon Higelin (3-1) recorded the last out of the sixth and earned the win.

In game two, the RailCats jumped ahead early on Cristian Guerrero's opposite field home run in the second, but Joliet came back with six runs in the top of the third against Garret Holleran (1-3). Cory Harris capped the big rally with a three-run home run, and the JackHammers scored twice more in the top of the sixth to take an 8-1 lead.

The RailCats, however, would not go down without a fight. The ‘Cats, in fact, scored six runs in the sixth and had the tying runs in scoring position in both the sixth and seventh innings, coming up just one big hit short of another win. Mike Rohde, Jay Pecci, Townsend and Guerrero had RBI hits in the sixth inning, with the last three all coming with two outs.

Dustin Taylor (4-2) pitched into the sixth and won, with Chad Fillinger rebounding from a loss Tuesday to save the game with a scoreless seventh. Rob Marconi did single and steal second with two outs against Fillinger, but Mike Reese popped out to end the game.

Townsend finished the day with two hits and four RBIs, matching Wes Chamberlain's single-season RailCats record with 66 runs driven in this year. Townsend's 66 RBIs have come in only 58 games, and his 38 extra-base hits in 2008 have matched his own RailCats record, set last season.

Pecci and Steve Haake also had hits in both games, each extending their hitting streaks to 11 games. Guerrero had three hits in the nightcap, including his 12th home run.

The RailCats' game one win matched the franchise's all-time longest winning streak, and was the first time the RailCats won nine straight games in the same season. The first RailCats nine-game win streak included the last eight games of 2006 and the next year's opener. The RailCats have won 11 of their last 13 games and four straight series, taking three of four games against Joliet.

The RailCats (40-34) will enjoy a day off Thursday before opening a three-game weekend set with the Kansas City T-Bones (36-37) Friday at 7 p.m. at U. S. Steel Yard. That game will be broadcast live on WEFM, 95.9, and online at www.railcatsbaseball.com .

Check out the Gary SouthShore Railcats Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Northern League Stories from August 6, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central