FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (August 27, 2017)
Contact: Jared Shlensky
[email protected]

Box Score

GARY, Ind. — A season-high five RBIs from Joey Havrilak and the seventh straight quality start from Alex Gunn paced Gary to a 10-5 win over the Kansas City T-Bones on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Steel Yard. The series finale victory over Kansas City also moves the RailCats within half a game of Fargo-Moorhead for first place in the Wild Card with eight games remaining in the regular season. 

Kansas City (52-40) jumped out in front for the third straight game on Niko Vasquez’s solo home run in the top of the second. The home run was Vasquez’s first of two on the day and the T-Bones’ third homer of the series.

Gary (52-40) scored their first runs of the series and gained their first lead of the series with a five-run bottom of the second. Chase Harris tied the game with a bases-loaded walk before Colin Willis gave the RailCats their first lead of the entire series with a sacrifice fly to center. Havrilak made it 4-1 with a two-run double down the first base line before Cameron Newell brought home Havrilak for the final run of the inning with an RBI single to center.

Havrilak extended the Gary lead to 7-1 with a two-out, two-run double to right-center in the third. Cole Fabio drew a one-out walk before Willis recorded his first hit of the afternoon with a bloop single down the left field line. Havrilak followed with his second two-run double of the game, plating both Fabio and Willis.

Gary added three two-out runs in the fifth to go up 10-1. Havrilak recorded his fifth RBI of the day with an RBI single before Newell drove in his second and third runs of the game with a two-run single to center, giving the RailCats their biggest lead of the day.

The T-Bones cut the Gary lead to seven on Vasquez’s two-run home out to left-center in the sixth. Kyle Petty drew a one-out walk before Vasquez recorded his third hit of the day.Cedric Hunter made it 10-4 with an RBI single in the eighth before driving in the final run of the game with a two-out RBI double in the ninth.

Gunn (8-5) earned the win after allowing three runs on six hits, a walk and four strikeouts over six innings. Every RailCats starter reached base at least once and five different Gary batters finished with a multi-hit afternoon.

Billy Waltrip (1-7) was charged with the loss after failing to get out of the second inning. After tossing a scoreless first inning, Waltrip retired one of the eight hitters he faced in the second. The southpaw was officially charged with five runs on four hits, four walks and a strikeout in just 1.1 innings

Gary begins a four-game road trip in Sioux Falls, S.D., against the Canaries on Monday night at 7:05 p.m. Right-hander Daniel Minor (2-0, 3.18) makes his fifth start of the year for the RailCats while the Canaries have yet to announce their starter for the opening game of the series. 

Gary returns home for a four-game homestand against the Lincoln Saltdogs starting on Friday to conclude the regular season. Friday’s game is “Breakfast” Club Night and a Fireworks Friday. We’ll have breakfast for dinner and play 80s music. Wear your pajamas to the ballpark and stick around after the game for an explosive Fifth Third Bank Fireworks Show!

Jared Shlensky and Austin Anderson bring you all 100 RailCats games this season on WEFM (95.9 FM) and online at railcatsbaseball.com. Fans can purchase tickets for RailCats home games by calling (219) 882-BALL or online at railcatsbaseball.com. The RailCats box office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.