August 25, 2007

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Gary, Ind.—Starting pitcher Josh Habel tossed a one-hit shutout and Tanner Townsend collected two doubles to break a franchise single-season record as the Gary SouthShore RailCats defeated the Joliet JackHammers 5-0 on Saturday night at U. S. Steel Yard before a crowd of 4,545. The RailCats extended their winning streak to six straight games, matching their season high.

The only hit allowed by Habel was a seventh inning line drive single to left field off the bat of Chad Ehrnsberger. Habel walked only one and struck out seven in second nine inning shutout of the season. He improved his record to 11-6.

Gary took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Nate Price tripled with one out and scored on Dave Detienne's single. In the sixth, the RailCats added three more runs. Jermaine Allensworth drilled a two-run double with two outs and scored on Townsend's double to make it 4-0. The RailCats closed out the scoring in the seventh when Eric McNamee walked, stole second, went to third on an error, and scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-0.

Meanwhile, Habel allowed only one runner to advance as far as second base, retiring the first 12 batters of the game and the last eight in order.

Townsend's two doubles gave him 26 for the season. The club record was 24, held by several players including Townsend from 2006.

The RailCats are 23-2 vs. Joliet at U. S. Steel Yard during the 2005-'07 seasons.

The RailCats host Joliet again Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at U. S. Steel Yard. The first 2,000 fans receive a free RailCats team photo, courtesy of Hoosier Bat. Northern League Pitcher of the Year candidate Willie Glen (10-1, 3.15) will start for Gary.

Notes: The RailCats are 13-4 over the last 17 games…The RailCats have 52 wins on the season, two short of the club record with eight games to play…The RailCats overall record of 52-36 puts them 16 games over the .500 mark for just the second time this season. They have not been 17 games over .500 in the franchise's history.

Joliet 0 (39-49,17-23 2nd Half) Gary 5 (52-36,22-18 2nd Half)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

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

Cory Harris cf............. 4 0 0 0 Eric McNamee 2b............3 1 1 0

Tim Hutting ss............. 4 0 0 0 Jay Pecci ss...............3 1 0 0

Juan Diaz dh............... 4 0 0 0 Eric Blakeley dh...........3 0 0 0

Chad Ehrnsberger 3b........ 2 0 1 0 Steve Haake rf.............3 1 1 0

Derek Nicholson lf......... 3 0 0 0 Jose Yepez c...............3 0 0 0

Dennis Blackmon c.......... 3 0 0 0 Jermaine Allensworth cf....4 1 1 2

Jake Whitesides rf......... 3 0 0 0 Tanner Townsend 3b.........4 0 2 1

Chris Brown 2b............. 2 0 0 0 Nate Price lf..............3 1 1 0

Eric Scriven 1b............ 3 0 0 0 Dave Detienne 1b...........3 0 1 1

Matt Smith p............... 0 0 0 0 Josh Habel p...............0 0 0 0

Jason Cierlik p........... 0 0 0 0

Totals..................... 28 0 1 0 Totals....................29 5 7 4

Score by Innings R H E

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

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

Gary................ 001 003 10X - 5 7 0

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

E - Scriven(9). DP - Jackhammers 2. LOB - Jackhammers 3; RailCats 5. 2B -

Allensworth(10); Townsend 2(26). 3B - Price(4). HBP - Brown. SB -

Brown(9);McNamee(7).

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

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

Matt Smith L,5-8.......... 5.2 7 4 4 3 2 1 0 0 0 22 25 6 7 91

Jason Cierlik ............. 2.1 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 7 9 4 2 39

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

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

Josh Habel W,11-6......... 9.0 1 0 0 1 7 0 0 1 0 28 30 15 5 117

WP - Smith(10); Cierlik(4). HBP - by Habel (Brown). Inherited

runners/scored: Cierlik

1/0. Pitches/strikes: Smith 91/52; Cierlik 39/20; Habel 117/82.

Strikeouts - Harris; Diaz 2; Ehrnsberger; Nicholson; Whitesides; Brown;

Haake;Townsend; Detienne. Walks - Ehrnsberger; McNamee; Pecci; Blakeley; Haake;

Yepez.

Umpires - HP: Bill Lopina 1B: Harry Fredenburg 3B: Kurt Branin

Start: 6:03 pm Time: 2:29 Attendance: 4545

Game notes:

Chad Ehrnsberger's 1-out single in the 7th ended Josh Habel's no-hit bid.

Sunday's probables: Brian Forystek (JOL) at Willie Glen (GAR), 2 p.m.

Joliet inning 1

Harris struck out swinging (1-2). Hutting popped up to ss (1-2). Diaz

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

Gary inning 1

McNamee flied out to rf (0-1). Pecci grounded out to ss (0-2). Blakeley

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

Joliet inning 2

Ehrnsberger struck out looking (0-2). Nicholson struck out swinging, out

first c to 1b (3-2). Blackmon grounded out to p (0-1). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0

errors, 0 LOB.

Gary inning 2

Haake struck out swinging (2-2). Yepez flied out to cf (0-0).

Allensworth

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

Joliet inning 3

Whitesides struck out swinging (0-2). Brown fouled out to 1b (0-0).

Scriven grounded out to ss (1-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Gary inning 3

Townsend fouled out to ss (2-1). Price tripled to center field (0-0).

Detienne singled to right field, RBI (2-1); Price scored. McNamee singled

through the right side (1-1); Detienne advanced to third. Pecci grounded

into double play 1b to ss to p (2-1); McNamee out on the play. 1 run, 3

hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Joliet inning 4

Harris flied out to lf (1-1). Hutting grounded out to 3b (0-0). Diaz

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

Gary inning 4

Blakeley grounded out to 3b (0-1). Haake singled up the middle (1-2).

Yepez walked (3-0); Haake advanced to second. Allensworth grounded into

double play 2b to ss to 1b (0-2); Yepez out on the play. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0

errors, 1 LOB.

Joliet inning 5

Ehrnsberger walked (3-2). Nicholson lined out to rf (2-2). Blackmon

fouled

out to c (0-2). Whitesides flied out to lf (0-1). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0

errors, 1 LOB.

Gary inning 5

Townsend doubled down the lf line (1-1). Price flied out to cf (2-2);

Townsend advanced to third. Detienne struck out looking (3-2). McNamee

grounded out to p (1-1). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Joliet inning 6

Brown hit by pitch (0-1). Scriven popped up to 2b (2-2). Harris flied

out

to rf (1-1). Brown stole second. Hutting popped up to 2b (1-0). 0 runs,

hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Gary inning 6

Pecci walked (3-1). Blakeley popped up to 2b (1-0). Haake walked (3-2);

Pecci advanced to second. Yepez flied out to cf (2-0). Haake advanced to

second; Pecci advanced to third on a wild pitch. Allensworth doubled to

left field, 2 RBI (2-1); Haake scored; Pecci scored. Townsend doubled to

left center, RBI (2-1); Allensworth scored. Cierlik to p for Smith.

Price

flied out to cf (2-1). 3 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Joliet inning 7

Diaz flied out to rf (1-0). Ehrnsberger singled to left field (1-1).

Nicholson lined out to cf (3-1). Blackmon reached on a fielder's choice

(1-2); Ehrnsberger out at second 2b to ss. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1

LOB.

Gary inning 7

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

to cf (0-1). McNamee stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error

1b. McNamee scored on a wild pitch, unearned. Blakeley walked (3-0).

Haake flied out to rf (0-2). 1 run, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.

Joliet inning 8

Whitesides popped up to ss (0-2). Brown struck out swinging (1-2).

Scriven

popped up to ss (3-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Gary inning 8

Yepez popped up to 2b (3-1). Allensworth grounded out to p (2-2).

Townsend

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

Joliet inning 9

Harris popped up to ss (0-0). Hutting grounded out to 2b (1-1). Diaz

flied

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