RailCats Four-Run Eighth Stuns RedHawks
By Zach Letson, Gary SouthShore RailCats
Gary, IN — Things looked bleak for the Gary SouthShore RailCats (37-51) after trailing 3-0 through seven innings.
However, they utilized a four-run eighth, storming back to steal a 4-3 win over the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (42-47) Wednesday night at The Steel Yard.
The Gary SouthShore bullpen afforded the offense a chance at a comeback by keeping them within striking distance. Daniel Vitriago was the first arm out of the bullpen in the fourth inning, and in his Steel Yard debut, he fired two nearly perfect innings. The left-hander allowed just one hit and picked up a strikeout in two spotless frames.
Vitriago gave way to Oddy Nuñez in the top of the sixth, and he continued his dominant month. Nuñez twirled a scoreless inning, lowering his ERA to 1.50 in 10 appearances in August.
Aaron Phillips entered and threw a scoreless seventh before All-Star D.J. Wilkinson did the same in the eighth. Four bullpen arms helped keep the RailCats down only 3-0 through seven-and-a-half innings after the RedHawks jumped out to an early 3-0 lead through the first two frames.
Down to their final six outs, the RailCats found magic. Francisco Del Valle and Jose Contreras earned back-to-back five pitch walks. Thomas Greely then delivered an RBI single to chase home Del Valle and get the RailCats on the board, 3-1.
With still no outs in the inning, Gio Díaz laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached first safely following a throwing error. Greely advanced to third base while Contreras scored, reducing Fargo-Moorhead’s edge to one.
On the very next pitch, Díaz stole his 35th base, further distancing himself as the franchise’s single-season record-holder.
Daniel Lingua then delivered the final blow, a go-ahead two-run double, catapulting the RailCats ahead for the first time all night at 4-3.
Now needing to close the RedHawks out, Jack Eisenbarger tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning to slam the door and finish off the comeback victory.
The RailCats head back to The Steel Yard at 6:45 p.m. for the series finale rubber match against the RedHawks. All the action will be streamed on aabaseball.tv and broadcast over the radio on 95.9 WEFM and the Gary SouthShore RailCats Broadcast Network via the Mixlr app.