Article By:

St. Paul, MIN. (July 26, 2019) – After becoming the first visiting team in 2019 to win a series at CHS Field last night, the Cleburne Railroaders one-upped themselves on Friday, hammering the St. Paul Saints 8-1 to finish off a three-game sweep. It is the first sweep the Saints have sustained at CHS Field since June 25-27, 2018 vs. Sioux City.

Playing in front of a crowd of more than 9,000, the Railroaders (38-25) wasted no time silencing the Saints faithful. Daniel Robertson launched a solo home run on the second pitch of the game for a 1-0 lead, the first of three long balls on the night for Cleburne.

Zach Nehrir and Hunter Clanin delivered solo shots of their own in the second for a 3-0 lead, then Cleburne continued the barrage in the third on an RBI single from Chase Simpson. All the damage came against St. Paul starter Jake Matthys (7-4), who was tagged for nine hits and six runs over six innings and did not record a strikeout.

For Cleburne, Jesus Sanchez (7-2) was excellent once again, firing six strong innings while allowing just four hits and one run. St. Paul (40-24) finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth on a wild pitch after a leadoff double from Blake Schmit, but Sanchez rebounded to retire the final three hitters of the inning.

For the series, St. Paul’s potent offense scored only four runs, including just two in 19.0 combined innings against the Cleburne starters.

After the wild pitch cut the Cleburne lead to 4-1, Simpson provided breathing room with a two-run double in the seventh that pushed the advantage to 6-1. The two-bagger gave Simpson 71 RBI on the season, establishing a new single-season record for the Railroaders.

Nehrir followed with a run-scoring single and Logan Trowbridge came off the bench to add an RBI triple in the top of the ninth for the game’s final margin.

The combination of Braden Pearson, Edward Cruz, and D.J. Sharabi covered the final three innings, holding the Saints off the board while allowing just two hits.

The Railroaders continue their road swing with a three-game series against the Chicago Dogs beginning on Saturday night at Impact Field. Right-hander Greyfer Eregua (2-1, 5.00) gets the ball for Cleburne, while Chicago will counter with fellow right-hander Wes Torrez (1-2, 6.41). 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.