Offense Explodes as Cleburne Wins Fifth Straight
JACKSON, Ten. (June 23, 2021) – Behind 18 hits and three multi-run innings, the Cleburne Railroaders rolled to an 11-6 win over the Winnipeg Goldeyes on Wednesday night at The Ballpark at Jackson. The victory is the fifth in a row for Cleburne, moving them into a tie for third place in the South Division.
Chase Simpson got the scoring barrage started with a two-run double in the top of the first, though Winnipeg (12-18) answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double from Wes Darvill and a run-scoring groundout from Max Murphy.
Ramon Hernandez gave Cleburne (16-16) the lead back in the top of the third with a line drive solo home run, his second in two games of the series.
A Raul Navarro run-scoring double and a sacrifice fly from Logan Hill in the bottom of the third gave the Goldeyes their only lead of the night at 4-3.
The Railroaders seized the lead for good in the top of the fifth. RBI singles from Simpson and Hunter Clanin started the scoring, before Colton Pogue delivered a two-out, two-run double as a pinch-hitter to put Cleburne in front 7-4.
Simpson blasted a two-run homer in the top of the sixth, then Zach Nehrir and Clanin executed a double-steal combined with a throwing error that brought home another run for a 10-4 lead.
Noah Vaughan roped his league-leading sixth triple of the season with one out in the seventh and scored on a passed ball for the final Cleburne run of the night. The Goldeyes got two runs in the eighth, but Taylor Wright slammed the door in the ninth to close out the victory.
Garrett Alexander (3-4) picked up the win, tossing five innings of four-run ball, striking out five while walking two. He finished his outing by retiring eight of the last nine that he faced. Branden Bell flipped two scoreless innings in relief, picking up his first professional strikeout along the way.
Ozzie Martinez finished the night 5-for-5, his second five-hit game of the season. Simpson drove in five runs, and Hernandez reached base five times with four hits to pace the Cleburne offense.
Pete Perez (1-1) took the loss for Winnipeg, allowing 10 hits and seven runs over 4.2 innings.
The Railroaders and Goldeyes conclude the series on Thursday night at 6:35. Lefty Michael Gunn (2-2, 3.38) starts for Cleburne, while the Goldeyes counter with right-hander Joey Gonzalez (2-2, 7.24).
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.