Déjà vu: Clanin’s Walk-Off Blast Seals Series Win

CLEBURNE, Tex. (June 3, 2021) – For the second straight night, the Cleburne Railroaders got a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, as Hunter Clanin’s solo shot gave the Railroaders a 6-5 win over the Houston Apollos on Thursday night at The Depot at Cleburne Station.

Clanin’s blast ended a back-and-forth affair that saw the lead change hands five times. Tyler Ryan got the scoring started in the bottom of the third with a towering solo home run that gave the Railroaders (7-8) a 1-0 lead. Houston (2-12) answered with two runs in the fourth on a two-run single from Taylor Zeutenhorst, grabbing a 2-1 edge. 

The Railroaders moved back in front in the fourth, with a throwing error and a double steal plating a pair of runs for a 3-2 lead. But a two-run single from Ian Yetsko put the Apollos back in the driver’s seat, leading 4-3.

In the fifth, Cleburne retook the lead on a long two-run home from Zach Nehrir that cleared the scoreboard in straightaway left. Nehrir’s second home run of the season gave the Railroaders a 5-4 advantage.

The Apollos evened the score in the top of the sixth when Brian Dansereau doubled with two outs and raced home on an RBI single from Hudson Bilodeau. 

The game remained tied at 5-5 thanks to some good work from both bullpens. Bryan Saucedo and Kyle Chavez (2-0) combined for three scoreless innings in relief for Cleburne, while Andrew Click kept the Railroaders off the board until the ninth. Matt Terrones (0-1) retired the first man he faced on a pop out, but then left an 0-1 pitch over the plate to Clanin, who drove it over the left field wall for his fourth home run of the year.

Garrett Alexander ended up with a no-decision as the Railroaders starter, allowing two runs over four innings with strikeouts. 

The Railroaders and Kansas City Monarchs open a three-game series on Friday night at 7:06 PM in Cleburne. Left-hander Austin Fairchild (0-1, 4.82) gets the start for Cleburne, while the Monarchs will counter with fellow southpaw Eric Stout (1-1, 2.11).

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.