Railroaders Rally Not Enough as Lincoln Evens Series

LINCOLN, Neb. (May 26, 2021) – The Cleburne Railroaders erased a 5-0 deficit to tie the game 5-5, but three runs in the eighth inning lifted the Lincoln Saltdogs to an 8-5 win on Wednesday night at Haymarket Park.

The Railroaders (4-4) got the rally started in the top of the sixth, courtesy of a three-run home run from Ramon Hernandez that sliced the deficit to 5-3. The following inning, Alay Lago cranked a two-run home run of his own against left-hander Tyler Anderson to tie the game at 5-5.

The Saltdogs (4-3) took the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth. Josh Altmann started the inning with a leadoff double, then advanced to third on a single from Curt Smith. Edgar Corcino followed a sacrifice fly to put the Saltdogs in front 6-5, and Gunnar Buhner provided insurance with a two-out, two-run single for the game’s final margin.

Cleburne’s offense was silent against Lincoln starter Johnny Barbato, who tossed five scoreless innings with six strikeouts and allowed only two hits. The Saltdogs surged to a 5-0 lead behind Barbato, scoring three in the first on a three-run home run from Smith, then adding single runs in the third and fifth.

All five runs came against Railroaders starter Michael Gunn, who battled through six innings to earn a no-decision. The lefty allowed five runs on six hits, striking out five and walking three.

Carter Hope (1-0) earned the win for Lincoln with 1.1 scoreless innings of relief. Austin Fairchild (0-1) took the loss for Cleburne, while James Pugliese picked up his third save.

The Railroaders and Saltdogs conclude the series on Thursday night at 7:05 PM. Lincoln starts right-hander Jon Richy (0-1, 10.39), while the Railroaders will counter with righty Maverik Buffo (1-0, 0.00).

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.