Dogs make it two in a row against Gary

The Chicago Dogs defeated the Gary SouthShore RailCats 5-2 at Impact Field Saturday night.

The win earns new manager Jeff Isom his first series victory with the Dogs.

Timely hitting and another stellar pitching performance were crucial to the Dogs’ victory. Chicago starting pitcher Steven Lacey threw five innings, allowed three hits, one earned run and struck out four RailCats while issuing one walk.

Lacey’s sole earned run occurred in the top of the second inning when Gary left fielder LG Castillo hit a home run to left field. Otherwise, Lacey held Gary in check during his first start of the 2024 season.

Through two games in the season, Chicago pitching has held Gary to only two earned runs — a 1.00 ERA. The Dogs had offensive opportunities early and often, but RailCats starting pitcher Chris Erwin held the offense at bay through four innings of work. He surrendered three hits and one walk, while striking out six Dogs.

All of the Dogs’ offense occurred in the bottom of the sixth inning. Shortstop Pavin Parks drew in the game-tying run on a bases-loaded walk. With two outs and the bases loaded, third baseman Dusty Stroup launched a bases-clearing double to give Chicago a 3-run lead.

Leadoff hitter Johnni Turbo connected on a single to left field, which added some insurance to the Dogs’ lead. In total, the Dogs scored five runs on five hits in the sixth inning.