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ROSEMONT, Ill. (July 28, 2019) – The Cleburne Railroaders led a five-run lead slip away as the Chicago Dogs stormed back for a 7-6 win on Sunday afternoon at Impact Field.

Rey Gonzalez came off the Chicago bench to provide the game-changing swing, lifting a three-run homer to left off Cleburne reliever Edward Cruz (0-3) that turned a 6-4 deficit into a 7-6 Dogs lead in the seventh. The Railroaders did not manage a hit over the final two innings against Casey Crosby and Kyle Halbohn, who secured his tenth save.

Things looked promising for Cleburne early, as the Railroaders (39-26) seized a 6-1 lead through three innings. A Chicago error and a two-run triple from Zach Nehrir gave the Railroaders a 3-0 edge in the first. Keon Barnum singled home a run for Chicago in the bottom of the inning to trim the lead to 3-1, but Cleburne smacked a pair of homers in the third. John Nester lined a two-run shot just over the wall in left, and then with two outs Ryan Brett crushed a solo shot of his own to push the Railroaders lead to 6-1.

Chicago chipped away against Cleburne starter Bryan Saucedo. The Dogs scored twice in the fourth on an RBI single from Gustavo Pierre and a bases-loaded walk to David Olmedo-Barrera, though D.J. Sharabi limited the damage and kept the Cleburne advantage at 6-3.

Barnum drove home another run with a fielder’s choice in the sixth to cut the lead to 6-4, and the Dogs finally broke through against the Cleburne bullpen in the seventh to even the series.

Newcomer Luke Wilkins (5-3) earned the win in his Chicago debut, tossing a pair of scoreless innings in relief.

The Railroaders and Dogs conclude their series on Monday night at 7:05 PM. Eudis Idrogo (6-3, 4.40) gets the start for Cleburne, while Chicago will counter with fellow lefty D.J. Snelten (4-2, 3.88).

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.