CLEBURNE BEATS THE ODDS, COMPLETES TEN-RUN COMEBACK
GARY, INDIANA (July 20, 2022) – Kacy Clemens’ record-setting performance and Hill Alexander’s two home runs propelled the Railroaders to an improbable comeback victory against the Railcats on Wednesday night at the U.S. Steel Yard.
The Railroaders were down by as many as ten runs but did not let that fact make them keel over and quit.
Gary came out of the gates roaring off Cleburne starter Kevin Hilton. In Hilton’s 3.1 innings of work, he allowed 11 runs (nine earned) off 11 hits while walking two and striking out two more. Over that span, the Railroaders were only able to put up one run off a Nick Shumpert solo shot in the top of the third.
It was in the top of the fifth, down 11-1, when Cleburne began their comeback. They did so slowly and not all at once, chipping one off the lead in the fifth when Zach Nehrir singled home Shumpert to make it 11-2.
The Railroaders got two more in the sixth off a Hector Sanchez two-run home run to bring the score to 11-4. In the seventh, two more long balls further chipped into the RailCats' lead as Nehrir hit his second solo home run in as many days and Alexander hit his first of two on the night, this one a two-run homer that scored both he and Chase Simpson to make it a game at 11-7.
Now Cleburne was really ramping up the run-scoring pace. The eighth saw three more runs come across the plate for the ‘Roaders as Chuck Taylor doubled home Hunter Wolfe and Shumpert. Nehrir drove in Taylor on an RBI ground out, his third RBI of the game. It was the second consecutive night that Nehrir recorded three RBIs.
The road team was down 11-10 going into the top of the ninth in need of an equalizer to give themselves a chance at the impossible. They found that equalizer in the form of a Shumpert sacrifice fly that scored Clemens from third. Nick Gardewine shut down the RailCats in the bottom half of the frame to send it to extras where the real fireworks began for the Railroaders.
Cleburne erupted for five in the top of the tenth to bring them closer to completing the largest comeback in the history of the franchise. Clemens hit a two-RBI double in the frame to give Cleburne its first lead of the night at 13-11. Alexander would then club his second home run of the evening, this one a three-run bomb over the right field fence that blew it open at 16-11.
Austin Fairchild came on in the bottom of the tenth to close it out and did just that. Gary did manage two more off a two-run blast by Sam Abbott, but it was too little too late as the Railroaders completed the comeback and won 16-13.
Gardewine picked up the win in relief, going one inning of scoreless ball, walking one, and striking out another. Josh Vincent got the loss for Gary. He went two-thirds of an inning, allowing five runs on two hits.
Clemens continued his hot hitting. He tied an American Association record with four doubles in one game and extended his hitting streak to a league-high 18 games.
The win brings the Railroaders back within ten games of .500 and back into fourth place in the East Division.
The series concludes Thursday at 12:00 p.m., with pregame coverage starting at 11:45 a.m. on AABaseball.tv and on the Railroader Radio Network.