SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Canaries) – The Sioux Falls Canaries rallied late but fell to the Cleburne Railroaders in the series finale 8-7 at The Birdcage on Thursday.
The back-and-forth battle began with three solo home runs for Cleburne in the first two innings. Osvaldo Martinez hit one in the first inning and Chase Simpson and Noah Vaughan went back-to-back in the second.
Jabari Henry and Zane Gurwitz responded in the bottom half of the second inning with back- to-back solo home runs of their own to cut into the deficit. The two teams hit a combined nine homers in the game.
Gurwitz went deep again in the sixth to make it 8-4 before Cade Gotta went deep for a two-run blast in the 7th to make it 8-6. Gurwitz finished with four hits. Gotta notched three total RBI.
Ty Culbreth (6-7) took the loss after going six innings. He gave up eight runs (six earned) on ten hits and one walk. Jalen Evans (1-1) got the win after going 5.1 innings. He gave up four runs (four earned) on four hits and three walks.
Sioux Falls rallied in the ninth and appeared poised to get their second walk-off in as many games. Gotta picked up an RBI walk to score Daryl Myers after the Birds loaded the bases with no one out. Tyler Wilson earned his 7th save of the season by leaving the bases full to end the game.
The Birds begin a new series against the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks at 7:05 pm Friday. Starters for both teams are TBA. Fans can hear the game on 98.1 FM, AM 1230 and KWSN.com.
(The Sioux Falls Canaries contributed this release.)
