RailCats 4, Joliet 0

July 22, 2007

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Gary, Ind.—Willie Glen's bid for a perfect game ended with two outs in the eighth inning, but Glen held on to complete a one-hit shutout as the Gary SouthShore RailCats defeated the Joliet JackHammers 4-0 on Sunday afternoon before a crowd of 4,729 at U. S. Steel Yard. Glen retired 27 of the 28 batters in the game and struck out 11 in the top pitching performance in RailCats history.

The RailCats completed a three-game sweep with the win and improved their record against Joliet this season to 11-2. The RailCats are 7-4 in the second half and 37-22 overall. Joliet fell to 4-7 in the second half and 26-33 overall.

Glen retired the first 23 batters of the game, going to a three-ball count only twice, before Dennis Blackmon grounded the first pitch of his at bat through the left side of the Gary infield for a clean single to end Glen's bid for perfection. Glen retired the final batter of the eighth and had a perfect ninth to complete the masterpiece.

The RailCats scored in the third inning to take the lead when Mike Reese led off with a double and scored one batter later on David Detienne's double play ground out. Gary added one more in the fifth on a double by Tanner Townsend and a two-out RBI single by Dale Mueller to bring in Townsend. In the seventh, Jose Yepez led off with a double and Townsend followed with a titanic home run to left that just missed clearing the netting high above the wall to make it 4-0.

Glen's performance marked his second near-no hitter with the RailCats. In 2006 against Calgary, he took a no-hitter to the ninth inning before give up a bunt single that turned out to be the only hit against him.

The nine inning shutout was the second of the season for a RailCats pitcher. Josh Habel fired a five-hit shutout over Schaumburg on June 14. It was the first career regular season shutout for Glen. He shutout Fargo-Moorhead in game one of the Northern League Championship Series in 2006.

The RailCats are off on Monday. They will return to action on Tuesday night at Schaumburg in a 7:05 p.m. game. Northern League victories leader Josh Habel (9-3, 3.41) will start for Gary against Schaumburg's Billy Keppinger (5-4, 4.02). The RailCats return home on Friday to host Fargo-Moorhead.

Notes: The RailCats sold the contract of pitcher Chad Blackwell to the Toronto Blue Jays prior to the game…The RailCats went 4-3 on the seven game homestand, winning the last three after losing three straight to Schaumburg.

Joliet 0 (26-33,4-7 2nd half) Gary 4 (37-22,7-4 2nd half)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------

Cory Harris cf............. 4 0 0 0 Dave Detienne 1b........... 4 0 0 0

Tim Hutting ss............. 3 0 0 0 Eric McNamee 2b............ 4 0 0 0

Juan Diaz dh............... 3 0 0 0 Jay Pecci ss............... 4 0 1 0

Chad Ehrnsberger 3b........ 3 0 0 0 Steve Haake rf............. 3 0 0 0

Derek Nicholson 1b......... 3 0 0 0 Jose Yepez c............... 3 1 1 0

Dennis Blackmon c.......... 3 0 1 0 Tanner Townsend 3b......... 3 2 2 2

Jake Whitesides rf......... 3 0 0 0 Jermaine Allensworth dh.... 2 0 0 0

Kevin Sullivan lf.......... 3 0 0 0 Mike Reese lf.............. 3 1 1 0

Chris Brown 2b............. 3 0 0 0 Dale Mueller cf............ 2 0 1 1

Brian Forystek p........... 0 0 0 0 Willie Glen p.............. 0 0 0 0

Matt Petrusek p........... 0 0 0 0

Totals..................... 28 0 1 0 Totals..................... 28 4 6 3

Score by Innings R H E

-------------------------------------------

Joliet.............. 000 000 000 - 0 1 1

Gary................ 001 010 20X - 4 6 0

-------------------------------------------

E - Hutting(17). DP - Jackhammers 2. LOB - Jackhammers 1; RailCats 2. 2B -

Yepez(18); Townsend(19); Reese(5). HR - Townsend(4). SH - Mueller.

Joliet IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brian Forystek L,1-2...... 6.0 4 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 20 22 7 7 84

Matt Petrusek ............. 2.0 2 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 8 8 1 4 27

Gary IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Willie Glen W,8-1......... 9.0 1 0 0 0 11 0 0 0 0 28 28 11 5 112

Inherited runners/scored: None. Pitches/strikes: Forystek 84/54; Petrusek 27/17; Glen

112/76.

Strikeouts - Harris; Hutting 2; Diaz 2; Nicholson 2; Blackmon; Whitesides; Sullivan;

Brown; Detienne; Allensworth. Walks - Allensworth.

Umpires - HP: Larry Babcock 1B: Hank Himmanen 3B: Mike Baker

Start: 2:02 pm Time: 2:05 Attendance: 4729

Joliet inning 1

Harris struck out swinging (2-2). Hutting flied out to rf (0-1). Diaz

struck out swinging (2-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Gary inning 1

Detienne grounded out to 2b (1-2). McNamee reached on a fielding error by

ss (1-2). Pecci singled to left field (2-2); McNamee advanced to second.

Haake reached on a fielder's choice (0-0); Pecci out at second 1b to ss;

McNamee advanced to third. Haake out at first p to 1b, picked off. 0 runs,

1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB.

Joliet inning 2

Ehrnsberger popped up to 2b (3-2). Nicholson struck out swinging (2-2).

Blackmon struck out swinging (1-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Gary inning 2

Yepez grounded out to 3b (3-2). Townsend flied out to cf (1-0).

Allensworth grounded out to 3b (1-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Joliet inning 3

Whitesides popped up to 3b (1-2). Sullivan grounded out to 2b (1-2). Brown

struck out looking (2-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Gary inning 3

Reese doubled to center field (2-2). Mueller reached on a fielder's choice,

SAC, bunt (1-0); Reese advanced to third. Detienne grounded into double

play ss to 2b to 1b (2-2); Mueller out on the play; Reese scored. McNamee

lined out to rf (2-2). 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Joliet inning 4

Harris out at first 1b to p (1-2). Hutting struck out swinging (2-2). Diaz

struck out swinging (1-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Gary inning 4

Pecci flied out to cf (0-2). Haake flied out to cf (1-0). Yepez grounded

out to 3b (0-1). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Joliet inning 5

Ehrnsberger flied out to rf (3-2). Nicholson flied out to cf (1-2).

Blackmon popped up to 2b (1-0). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Gary inning 5

Townsend doubled down the lf line (1-1). Allensworth walked (3-1). Reese

flied into double play cf to ss to 2b (1-1); Allensworth out on the play;

Townsend advanced to third. Mueller singled down the rf line, RBI (3-2);

Townsend scored. Detienne struck out swinging (2-2). 1 run, 2 hits, 0

errors, 1 LOB.

Joliet inning 6

Whitesides struck out swinging (2-2). Sullivan grounded out to ss (0-1).

Brown flied out to cf (1-0). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Gary inning 6

McNamee flied out to rf (1-1). Pecci grounded out to ss (0-1). Haake flied

out to rf (1-0). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Joliet inning 7

Harris grounded out to 3b (0-0). Hutting struck out swinging (2-2). Diaz

popped up to 1b (2-1). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Gary inning 7

Petrusek to p for Forystek. Yepez doubled to left field (2-0). Townsend

homered to left field, 2 RBI (1-1); Yepez scored. Allensworth struck out

swinging (2-2). Reese flied out to lf (3-1). Mueller grounded out to ss

(0-0). 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Joliet inning 8

Ehrnsberger popped up to 2b (1-0). Nicholson struck out swinging (2-2).

Blackmon singled through the left side (0-0). Whitesides grounded out to 3b

(0-0). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Gary inning 8

Detienne grounded out to ss (1-2). McNamee grounded out to 3b (1-2). Pecci

grounded out to 3b (0-0). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Joliet inning 9

Sullivan struck out swinging (1-2). Brown flied out to cf (2-1). Harris

lined out to 2b (0-0). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.