RAILRIDERS WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT

Gamel & Sanchez Lead Another Massive Offensive

Red-Hot RailRiders Win Fifth Straight

Toledo, Ohio – The SWB RailRiders (Triple-A/New York Yankees) leapt out to a 5-0 lead and held on for a 7-5 victory against the Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) at Fifth Third Field on Tuesday night. The RailRiders (38-28) improved to a season-best 10 games above .500 with their season-best fifth straight road win. The club has scored 48 runs in beginning this road trip 5-0. The Mud Hens (28-36) have lost six of seven and nine of 12.

Gary Sanchez put the team up in the first inning with a towering two-run, two-out homer off the upper reaches of the enormous video board structure in left. Jake Cave added a two-out run-scoring single in the third and Ben Gamel tripled home a pair, again with two outs in the fourth for the 5-0 advantage.

Toledo sent all nine in its lineup to the plate in a four-run fifth highlighted by Tyler Bortnick’s two-run triple.

Each team posted a single score in the sixth. Sanchez walked with the bases loaded for SWB while John Hicks doubled home a run for the Mud Hens.

Gamel collected his third RBI with a two-out single in the seventh to round out the scoring.

Starter Brady Lail (3-2) got the win while his counterpart, Thad Weber (5-5), tossed 112 pitches over 5.2 innings and suffered the loss. Giovanny Gallegos posted a pair of scoreless innings for his first Triple-A save of the year.

The series continues at 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday as SWB’s Luis Cessa (0-1, 4.60) gets the nod. Toledo has yet to name a starter after scheduled man, Buck Farmer, was called up by the Tigers on Tuesday.

The RailRiders return home for a seven-day, six-game homestand on Friday, June 17. It starts with the first of three against the Gwinnett Braves (Atlanta Braves) at 7:05 p.m. The Glow-in-the-Park Friday will see the RailRiders wear their alternate black and neon-green uniforms and post-game fireworks, the latter presented by Jack Williams Tire and Auto. The first 2,500 fans will receive RailRiders shoelaces courtesy of Planet Fitness, which will also present a Man vs. Marathon promotion. Post-game festivities include Dave “The Bullet” Smith, Jr., “The Human Cannonball”, courtesy of the PA Turnpike. For tickets or more information, please call 570-969-BALL (2255) or visit swbrailriders.com.

OFF THE RAILS:

Ben Gamel tripled for the third time in as many days. He went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and lifted his average to .299.

Gary Sanchez launched his seventh home run, tying him for second on the squad. He went 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs.

Aaron Judge reached base four times. He logged a 2-for-3 night with two walks and two runs scored. He also stole a base and stands 4-for-4 in stolen-base attempts on the year.

The RailRiders have homered in a season-best five straight games.

Toledo’s battery nabbed two of three would-be base stealers on the game. Both Gamel and Jake Cave were nabbed at second base in the third inning. Toledo leads the IL with 32 men caught in 64 attempts (50%).

Cave went 1-for-4 with an RBI. In the fifth, he drew the first intentional walk of his career to join Judge on the bases with one out. Tyler Austin then lined out to left and Donovan Solano grounded out.

Solano went 2-for-5 with a run scored, his third multi-hit showing over his last five games. This comes after a 10-game slide that saw him go 3-for-39, 0XBH, 1BB, 10K.

The RailRiders posted their IL-best 21^st road win. At 21-12 away from PNC Field, the club is on pace to win 46 games away from NEPA. That would break the franchise record of 45 set by the Marc Bombard’s 2002 Red Barons who won 91 games with players like Chase Utley, Marlon Byrd, Brett Myers and Joe Roa.

Eleven of the game’s 12 total runs crossed thanks to two-out RBIs including each of the seven for SWB.