OCONOMOWOC, Wis. – The Lake Country DockHounds allowed three home runs en route to Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to the Cleburne Railroaders in Wisconsin Brewing Company Park.
Coming off a statement win yesterday, Brett Conine took the ball and battled through six strong innings to keep Lake Country in it. With the wind blowing out, Cleburne hit two solo shots to take the lead 2-0.
DockHounds left fielder Carson Maxwell had a big day offensively, going 2-2 with a double, two stolen bases, and two walks. Maxwell also scored to put Lake Country on the board in the sixth. He received Wednesday’s “Top Dog,” award.
“It feels good, it’s my first one, and I wished we could have gotten a dub, but I’m enjoying the moment,” Maxwell said.
As Maxwell was in the nine-spot in the lineup, he acted more as a lead-off hitter. With every at-bat coming with less than two outs, he set the tone each time. As the DockHounds’ offense emphasizes “passing the bat,” Maxwell credits his success to his focused and light-hearted approach.
“Just being ready to hit and having fun,” Maxwell said.
The DockHounds entered the late stages of the game tied with Cleburne at two, but after a broken-bat single scored two runs for the Railroaders, the DockHounds couldn’t overcome the deficit.
Cleburne didn’t stop there as in the top of the ninth, they extended their lead with a two-run home run.
However, the DockHounds’ resilience began to show.
Ryan Hernandez, Justin Connell and Josh Altmann each reached base with no outs. However, after a well-placed fastball jammed Deivy Grullon, the Railroaders turned a 1-2-3 double play, neutralizing the threat.
After what killed the DockHound momentum, Marek Chlup dropped a two-RBI single into left, cutting the deficit in half. Maxwell again walked before Blake Tiberi worked an impressive at-bat, resulting in a walk of his own. With the bases loaded again, the DockHounds fell short and dropped game two.
The late Lake Country rally is something to build on, however. After working the Railroaders closer to over 25 pitches, Maxwell credits it to the team’s poise at the plate.
“It’s just not panicking,” Maxwell said. “Knowing if we take good at-bats, we can be right back in the game, and we were. One bloop hit and a bunch of walks, and we were back in it.”
The DockHounds are back at 6:35 p.m. Thursday for game three against the Cleburne Railroaders.
Written by: Noah Douglas
