Two hits for the second straight game from Cole Fabio, seven innings of one-run baseball from Alex Gunn and 11 hits from the Gary offense led the RailCats to an 8-1 victory over the Cleburne Railroaders in front of 4,293 fans on Youth and Senior Day at U.S. Steel Yard on Wednesday afternoon. Eight of the nine Gary starters reached base at least once while Jack Fowler and Myles Smith secured the win with one scoreless innings each out of the bullpen.
Gary (17-13) jumped in front for the second consecutive game with a pair of runs in the second. With D.K. Carey on third and Reggie Wilson on second, Garrett Copeland floated a two-run single into shallow right field, plating both Carey and Wilson.
The RailCats increased their lead to 3-0 with a two-out run in the fourth. Andy Paz was hit with two strikes to start the frame before Reggie Wilson beat out a bunt single, moving Paz to second. Two batters later, Fabio delivered an opposite-field RBI single to right, scoring Paz.
Cleburne (12-19) avoided the shutout with their only run in the fifth. Levi Scott led off the inning with a double off the center field wall before advancing to third on Chevy Clarke’s sacrifice bunt. Cameron Monger followed Clarke with an RBI groundout to the left side of the infield, bringing in Scott.
Gary pulled away with five runs in the sixth, four of which came with two outs. Fabio drove in his second of two runs with an RBI single to left before Andy De Jesus extended the RailCats lead to five with a two-run single to left. Randy Santiesteban made it 7-1 with an RBI triple to the left-center wall before Colin Willis brought in Santieseteban with an RBI single to left for the final run of the day.
Gunn (4-2) allowed just one run on three hits, two walks and three strikeouts over seven innings in the win. Dylan Mouzakes (1-2) yielded three runs on six hits, a walk and four strikeouts over 3.2 innings in the loss.
Gary concludes their six-game, seven-day homestand on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. vs. Cleburne. LHP Lars Liguori (1-3, 3.74) makes his first career appearance against Cleburne while the Railroaders counter with RHP Patrick Mincey (0-2, 5.66)
Thursday’s game is another Gerber Collision and Glass Thursday and a Beer and Dog Thursday, presented by Miller Lite and GFS. Beer and Dog specials include $2.50 hot dogs, $1.50 domestic drafts and $3 select premium drafts.
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.