ROSEMONT, ILL. — The Chicago Dogs opened their 2023 season at Impact Field in front of a sold-out crowd of 6,259 on Friday night and fell, 5-3, to the Lincoln Saltdogs.
Three Key Plays:
- With the score tied at 0-0 in the third, Lincoln’s Nate Samson lined a single to drive in the first of three Saltdogs runs in the inning to take a 3-0 lead that held throughout.
- Three batters later, Lincoln third baseman Luke Roskam drove in two runs with a two-strike, two-out single to extend the advantage to 3-0.
- Braxton Davidson doubled in a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to cut into the Lincoln deficit at 5-3, but the Saltdogs closed for the win with a scoreless ninth inning.
The Arms: Jake Dahlberg started his first game at Impact Field since 2021, striking out three batters and allowing three earned runs in five innings. Ryan O’Reilly, Joe Cavallaro and Brendan Heiss came on in relief for Chicago.
For Lincoln, Abdallah Aris delivered a quality four-inning start, allowing just one run to set the tone. Matt Cronin earned his first save of the season with a perfect ninth inning.
The Bats: For Lincoln, Nate Samson, Matt Goodheart and Drew Devine all posted two hits, with Devine and Samson doubling. On the Chicago side, the Dogs were limited to just six hits, with Brennan Metzger, Nick Heath and Braxton Davidson recording extra-base knocks.
Players of the Game:
- Saltdogs: Starting Pitcher Abdallah Aris (4.0 IP, 1 run, 2 hits, 3 strikeouts)
- Dogs: Ryan O’Reilly (2.0 IP, 0 runs, 1 hit)