Francis Dominates in Pitcher’s Duel
September 3, 2022 – American Association (AA) – Gary SouthShore Railcats News Release
Gary, IN – On the back of a Harrison Francis quality start, the Gary SouthShore RailCats staved off the Milwaukee Milkmen and secured a 3-2 victory.
While the RailCats waited on their bats to break through, Francis shut down the Milkmen on the mound. He did not allow a hit through his first four innings, striking out five in the process.
Milwaukee picked up their first two hits in the top of the fifth, placing runners on first and second base with two outs, but the right-hander kept his cool. He coaxed a Jeremiah Burks flyout to hold the Milkmen scoreless.
Shortly afterward, the RailCats opened the scoring in the bottom half of the inning. Thomas Greely worked his way aboard by singling to center field, and two batters later, Daniel Lingua ripped a two-out double down the right field line to score him all the way from first base, giving Gary SouthShore a 1-0 lead.
Francis navigated around a two-out single in the top of the sixth to keep the edge intact, putting the finishing touches on an excellent outing. He tossed six scoreless frames, allowing just three hits and two walks, striking out six to earn his fifth win of the season.
Lester Madden helped the RailCats add on in their next turn at bat. Jesus Marriaga and Victor Nova singled to begin the inning before a Tom Walraven walk loaded the bases with nobody out. Madden capitalized on the situation by lining a two-run single, giving the ‘Cats a three-run edge heading into the final three frames.
Aaron Phillips entered from the bullpen to throw a perfect seventh inning, but once he departed, the Milkmen offense sprung to life. Three consecutive one-out base hits in the top of the eighth placed the go-ahead run in the batter’s box, and Will Kengor decreased Milwaukee’s deficit to one by driving in two runs on a single of his own.
However, as Kengor attempted to advance an extra 90 feet, Sam Abbott alertly cut off the throw to the plate and fired a strike to second base to record an important second out.
As the tying run stood on third base, manager Lamarr Rogers turned to Jack Eisenbarger to keep the RailCats in front. The decision paid immediate dividends as he induced a weak groundout out of Keon Barnum, placing Gary SouthShore three outs away from victory.
Eisenbarger returned to the rubber in the top of the ninth, and the RailCats defense stepped up to secure the result. LG Castillo robbed Miguel Gomez of a leadoff single through his sliding catch in right field, and Madden made a running grab in left field to deny Hector Sanchez extra bases for the final out.
The RailCats are back at The Steel Yard tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. to take on the Milkmen in the penultimate game of the season. All the action will be streamed on aabaseball.tv, 95.9 WEFM, and the Gary SouthShore RailCats Broadcast Network through the Mixlr app.
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