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St. Paul, MIN. (July 24, 2019) – A grand slam from Chase Simpson in the top of the eighth broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the Cleburne Railroaders to a 5-1 win over the St. Paul Saints on Wednesday night at CHS Field.

It was the second grand slam of the season for Simpson, capping off a remarkable at-bat against St. Paul reliever Ryan Smith. After falling behind in the count 0-2, Simpson worked it full before fouling off three two-strike pitches. On the ninth pitch of the battle, Simpson cranked a blast to deep right field over the Home Run Porch to give Cleburne the lead.

The Railroaders (36-25) grabbed the lead just two hitters into the game when Daniel Robertson smacked a leadoff triple and came in to score on an RBI grounder from Angel Reyes. That would prove to be all the offense that Cleburne could muster against St. Paul starter Ryan Zimmerman, who did not allow a hit for the final six innings of his outing. The Saints righty struck out nine, while walking two.

Zimmerman was matched pitch-for-pitch by Eudis Idrogo (6-3), who did not allow a hit for the first five innings and ultimately worked seven frames with five strikeouts and no walks. Chesny Young’s solo home run leading off the sixth tied the game 1-1, but Idrogo recovered to strand two Saints in that inning and then tossed a quick 1-2-3 seventh.

Grant Buck started the eighth getting hit by a pitch from St. Paul reliever Ken Frosch (2-2). Ryan Smith was brought out to face K.C. Huth, and got him to bunt into a fielder’s choice out at second. After Robertson slapped a single to put runners at first and second, Reyes hit a hard ground ball that St. Paul shortstop Chris Baker bobbled to load the bases, setting the stage for Simpson’s heroics. The grand slam was the 16th home run of the season for Simpson, and extended his league-leading RBI total to 67.

D.J. Sharabi was magnificent out of the Cleburne bullpen to close out the win, firing two scoreless innings with four strikeouts. The Railroaders held St. Paul (40-22) to just four hits on the evening.

The Railroaders and Saints continue their series on Thursday night. Right-hander Charlie Gillies (3-5, 4.08) starts for Cleburne, while St. Paul will counter with fellow righty Benji Waite (0-0, 4.90). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.

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.