(Gary, Ind.) The Gary SouthShore RailCats took on the Lake Country DockHounds for the second game of the final home series at the Steel Yard for the 2026 season. The DockHounds had scored 15 runs from innings six through nine in Game 1 to win 15-7, and the RailCats turned to Frank Plesac to slow down the bats. Lake Country, on the other hand, went to right-hander Trey Riley in a late swap instead of initial starting pitcher Jack Ben-Shoshan.
The RailCats got on the board first on a sacrifice fly from Nick Podkul to send home Kevin Watson Jr. In the bottom of the second inning, Watson had an RBI single and Podkul hit a grand slam for his 20th home run of the year. That home run tied the single-season franchise record for most in a season, and the RailCats led 7-0 after a six-run bottom of the second.
In the top of the third, Anthony Garcia singled into right field for a two-run single to get Lake Country on the board. A Jake Snider triple led to the third run with a Jake Allgeyer sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the fourth, the RailCats scored three runs as Riley and Anthony Steel issued a combined five walks in the inning. The RailCats led 10-3 after four.
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Garcia collected his third RBI on a double, and three runs crossed in the top of the sixth when Zach Plesac came in for his brother, Frank Plesac. It made it a three-run game, and that was when Elvis Peralta put a home run over the left-field wall for his 14th home run in 2026 and his third in two days. The RailCats were up 12-7.
Ray Zuberer III got ahold of one from Denson Hull in the top of the eighth. That would be it, as Jacob Coats shut the door in the ninth and the RailCats celebrated a 12-8 win. The RailCats set a new season high in walks with 12, and seven batters earned at least one.
The RailCats have surpassed their win total from 2025 with 39 this year. Frank Plesac got the win, moving his record to 5-6, and Riley dropped to 4-6 with the loss. The final game between the two East Division foes will be tomorrow at 6:45 p.m., and the two starters will be Dominic Cancellieri for Gary and Marc Davis for the DockHounds.
Thursday's game is fan appreciation day and there will be a team card set giveaway presented by Underground Case Breaks. Tickets are available on Tixr.com/RailCats or by calling 219-882-2255.
