CLEBURNE, Texas – After Frankie Tostado provided arguably the biggest moment of the 2026 season with a solo walk-off home run Sunday, July 16, the Railroaders were building momentum in the series opener against Lake Country on Tuesday before weather put a halt to things.
Tostado’s 15th home run of the season was the deciding factor in Sunday’s series finale against the Gary SouthShore RailCats. The 6-5 win pushed Cleburne (38-43) to 6.5 games clear of the final playoff spot in the East Division.
John Baker provided another solid start with 6.2 innings of work while striking out six. Baker sits third on the squad with 71 strikeouts in 82.2 innings of work in 2026. However, it would be recent acquisition Josh Green (2-0) who picked up the decision in Sunday’s game.
It was a good sendoff for the Railroaders, which began its second-to-last road trip of the 2026 season on Tuesday against the Lake Country DockHounds. After the first pitch was delayed by weather for over an hour, a thick fog bank rolled in during the top of the ninth, causing the game to be resumed the following day.
Cole Foster notched his eighth home run of the season with a grand slam to put the Roaders up 4-2. Currently, the score sits at 8-8 with Cleburne batting in the ninth. It’s a tricky spot for Cleburne to be in. When the game resumes at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the Railroaders will have the go-ahead run at second with two outs and Angel Mendoza batting.
As it stands, the Gary SouthShore RailCats closed one game closer to Cleburne in the race for the final playoff spot in the East with an American Association-record 25-2 win over the Chicago Dogs on Tuesday.
With a win, Cleburne will maintain the 6.5-game lead it held going into Tuesday’s game. The Railroaders will play Game 2 of the three-game set with Lake Country at 6:35 p.m. on Wednesday, with the series wrapping up on Thursday.
It’s then over to Milwaukee for a three-game set with the East Division-leading Milwaukee Milkmen (48-33).
Wednesday, August 19 – Cleburne 8-8 Lake Country DockHounds (resumption at 4:30 p.m. in the top of the ninth, two outs), followed by a 6:35 p.m. first pitch (Game Two)
Thursday, August 20 – Cleburne Railroaders @ Lake Country DockHounds (6:35 p.m.)
Friday, August 21 – Cleburne Railroaders @ Milwaukee Milkmen (6:30 p.m.)
Saturday, August 22 – Cleburne Railroaders @ Milwaukee Milkmen (6:00 p.m.)
Sunday, August 23 – Cleburne Railroaders @ Milwaukee Milkmen (1:00 p.m.)
