CLEBURNE, Texas (May 22, 2019) – Playing in just his second game with the Cleburne Railroaders, Audie Afenir tied a franchise record with five hits to power the Railroaders to an 8-4 win over the Winnipeg Goldeyes on Wednesday afternoon at The Depot.

Afenir started the scoring in the second with a long solo homer to left, then added singles in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth innings to tie the five hits recorded by Mitch Glasser on May 30, 2017 against St. Paul. His leadoff knock in the fourth set the stage for a five-run inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Kenny Meimerstorf and a two-run single from Nick Rotola.

The Railroaders (4-3) carried a 6-0 lead into the top of the sixth behind shutout pitching from Eudis Idrogo (1-0), but the Goldeyes got back into the game with four runs in the frame. Kevin Lachance smacked a two-run triple that cut the Cleburne lead to 6-4, and manager Brent Clevlen went to his bullpen to summon Edward Cruz with the bases loaded and one out. Cruz promptly struck out Reggie Abercrombie and Wes Darvill, stranding three Goldeyes and preserving the Railroaders lead.

Cleburne got two of the runs back in the bottom of the inning, as Afenir singled home Chase Simpson and Jared Reaves hooked an RBI double off the left field wall to provide the game’s final score. The Railroaders banged out a season-high 16 hits on the day, just two shy of the franchise single-game record.

Braden Pearson tossed a scoreless top of the eighth, and Tyler Wilson punched out the side in the ninth to help the Railroaders secure a winning homestand.

Mitch Lambson (1-1) took the loss for the Goldeyes (5-2), allowing six runs on 11 hits over five innings of work. Winnipeg’s offense stranded 15 men on base for the afternoon.

The Railroaders will take to the road for the first time on Thursday, as they travel up to Haymarket Park for a four-game series against the Lincoln Saltdogs. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05, with right-hander Nefi Ogando (0-0, 2.25) getting the start for Cleburne.

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.

by Denning Gerig