Apollos Rally for Series-Opening Win

CLEBURNE, Tex. (June 1, 2021) – The Houston Apollos rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to knock off the Cleburne Railroaders 6-4 on Tuesday night at The Depot at Cleburne Station.

In the first-ever meeting between the two teams, Cleburne (5-8) surged in front thanks to three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Noah Vaughan and Zach Nehrir started the inning with back-to-back doubles, then Ramon Hernandez drove in another with a double of his own. Hunter Clanin capped the inning with an RBI single for a 3-0 lead. 

The Apollos (2-10) answered back with one run in the fourth, two in the fifth, and three in the sixth to take the lead. Most of the damage came with two outs; Ian Yetsko got Houston on the board with a two-out RBI double in the fourth, then four consecutive two-out runners in the sixth gave the Apollos the lead. Ramon Villa and Brian Dansereau provided run-scoring singles to complete the scoring in the inning.

John Nester pulled the Railroaders a run closer in the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run, his second of the season, trimming the lead to 6-4. The Railroaders then put two runners on base with just one out in the ninth, but Apollos closer Ryan Richardson struck out two straight to secure his first save.

Alex Merithew (1-1) picked up the win for Houston with 3.1 innings of scoreless relief, while Michael Gunn (0-2) took the loss for the Railroaders, surrendering six runs over 5.1 frames. Austin Fairchild and Mason Melotakis were excellent in relief for Cleburne, combining for 3.1 innings without allowing a run.

The Railroaders and Apollos continue the series on Wednesday night at 7:06 PM. Right-hander Maverik Buffo (1-1, 5.40) gets the start for Cleburne.

For information on partnerships, season tickets, group outings, and party packages, call the Railroaders main office at (817) 945-8705, or visit the Railroaders official website at www.railroaderbaseball.com.