Hernandez Hammers Chicago as Cleburne Seizes Opener
CLEBURNE, Texas (Aug. 2, 2021) – Ramon Hernandez went 4-for-5 and drove in six runs, and the Cleburne Railroaders held off a late charge to knock off the Chicago Dogs 11-7 on Monday night at The Depot.
Hernandez smacked a two-run triple to get the scoring started for Cleburne in the bottom of the first, then added an RBI single in the third, another single in the fourth, and the game’s biggest swing in the eighth. With the bases loaded and one out, the Railroaders first baseman chopped a hard ground ball down the third base line to score all three runners, giving Hernandez a league-leading 80 RBI on the season.
The Railroaders (39-28) led 8-3 after scoring four runs in the first and three in the third, but the Dogs (40-30) would not go away quietly. They scored four times in the top of the seventh, highlighted by a three-run home run from Michael Crouse that trimmed the Railroaders lead to 8-7. Hernandez’s three-run double pushed the lead back to four, and Edward Cruz flipped a 1-2-3 top of the ninth inning to secure the win.
Chase Simpson and Noah Vaughan both homered to aid the offensive attack for Cleburne, with Simpson connecting on a towering two-run shot in the third and Vaughan adding a solo blast in the fourth. Both recorded multi-hit games as part of a 14-hit output.
Pete Perez (5-1) picked up the victory in his first start with Cleburne, allowing seven runs over seven innings with four strikeouts. He pitched well in the middle innings, retiring eight Dogs in a row from the fourth through the seventh before running into trouble in his final inning of work. Michael Krauza set the side down in order in the eighth before handing the ball off to Cruz for the ninth.
AJ Jones (4-3) took the loss for Chicago, allowing eight hits and seven runs over 2.2 innings. The Dogs used six pitchers on the night.
The Railroaders and Dogs continue the series on Tuesday night at 7:06 PM. Cleburne will start left-hander Kody Bullard (1-0, 2.87), while the Dogs counter with right-hander Jordan Kipper (6-3, 6.19).
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.