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CLEBURNE, Texas (May 16, 2019) – The Cleburne Railroaders got seven shutout innings from Jesus Sanchez and used a six-run fourth inning to cruise past the Sioux Falls Canaries 7-2 on Thursday night at The Depot.

Sanchez (1-0) was masterful in his 2019 debut, allowing just four singles while striking out eight. He did not issue a walk or hit a batter, requiring 98 pitches to get through seven frames. The right-hander got all the support he needed in the bottom of the fourth, when Cleburne (1-0) struck for six runs. K.C. Huth got the scoring started with a two-run double off Sioux Falls starter Taylor Hill (0-1), then Nick Rotola followed with an RBI triple to increase the lead to 3-0. Zach Nehrir blasted a two-run homer to left-center, before Angel Rosa capped the scoring with a run-scoring single.

The score remained 6-0 until the bottom of the eighth, when Chase Simpson added to the lead with an RBI double. Simpson reached base three times in his return to Cleburne, while Nehrir reached in all five of his at-bats. Rosa finished 3-for-5 with two singles and a double. The Railroaders drew seven walks as a team, and recorded 12 hits on the night.

Sioux Falls (0-1) broke up the shutout in the top of the ninth inning on a two-run home run from Adrian Nieto. Jeremy Smith came out of the Cleburne bullpen to induce a game-ending 4-6-3 double play from Alay Lago, giving the Railroaders their second opening day victory in franchise history.

The Railroaders and Canaries will continue their series on Friday night at 7:06, with left-hander Eudis Idrogo (0-0, 0.00) getting the start for Cleburne against right-hander Sam Bragg (0-0, 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.

Photo Credit: Jessica Pounds/Cleburne Times-Review