May 17th – The RailCats didn’t have to wait until their sixth game of the year to finally snag that first win of the season. They avoided the sweep in style, rolling to an 8–1 victory over the DockHounds. Today, the DockHounds got a taste of their own medicine, and we loved every second of it. Let’s dive into the nine things we saw in today’s win.

1. For the second straight game, the RailCats took a lead into the first inning. This time it wasn’t a home run that put the ’Cats on the board, but the speed and aggression of Korry Howell and Elvis Peralta putting the ball in play. Korry Howell led the game off with a single, then promptly stole second and third to spark the RailCats’ momentum. After Watson flied out, Elvis Peralta grounded out to first, bringing Howell home from third for the game’s first run.
2. J.C. Flowers got the start in this one and he was fantastic. In the second inning, he set the DockHounds down in order, becoming the first RailCats pitcher to do that in the series. What really stood out was how he set up his two-seam fastball, using it against right-handed hitters to freeze them on the outside corner as it ran back toward the batter. By the sixth, you could see he was starting to tire — he walked Roberts, got the next two outs, but then Carreras ripped a double to score Roberts, and Flowers issued two more walks to load the bases. Luckily, Dawson Lane came in to get the final out and preserve Flowers’ strong outing. Flowers’ final line: 5.2 innings, 3 hits, 1 run (earned), 3 walks, 7 strikeouts — and he earned the win.
3. Dawson Lane came on in relief of J.C. Flowers in a brutal spot: bases loaded, two outs, and Peter Zimmerman at the plate — the same hitter who hit a grand slam in last night’s game. With the score 5–1, Zimmerman was the last DockHound you wanted to see. After a good battle, Lane won it, getting Zimmerman to fly out to Guenther in right to escape the jam. He went on to have a very strong day on the mound, working 2.1 innings, allowing just one hit, and striking out four.
4. Cooper Edwards had a phenomenal game both at the plate and behind it. He controlled the running game, and Brett Roberts learned the hard way that you can’t run on “Cowboy Coop” — in the third inning, Roberts tried to steal second and Edwards’ throw was right on the money. At the plate, Edwards crushed his first home run as a RailCat in the seventh. He finished the day 2-for-4 with 2 RBI, 1 run scored, and 1 strikeout.
5. Elvis Peralta also had himself a nice day both in the field and at the plate. He recorded the first two outs of the game, including a tough ground ball from Reyes into the hole that he turned into a strong throw to first. At the plate, he went 2-for-5 with 1 run scored, 2 RBI, and a strikeout, and he also swiped 2 bases.
6. I was starting to think that having Korry Howell lead off instead of Elvis Peralta was becoming a bad idea… but this game is a reminder of why Jeff is the manager and I’m not. Korry set the tone right away and gave the ’Cats momentum. He finished with three stolen bases — two of them to start the game — and he also leads the team in walks. After a performance like that, I bet Jeff has given Korry the green light to steal whenever he wants.
7. The base‑runner awareness is something to note here. The team stole nine bases in this game, and seven runs were scored by players who stole at least one base. Jeff kept the pressure on even when the RailCats had the lead. Andrew mentioned on the broadcast that even when the RailCats were up 5–1, Jeff wasn’t trying to run up the score, but understood what the DockHounds are capable of. I’d love to see more of this, especially since the team hits a lot of singles and extra‑base hits are hard to come by.
8. This game they kept the momentum flowing, and that was something we rarely saw last year. Keeping the line moving is what will get this team going.
9. I believe Cooper Edwards needs to be the everyday catcher. I understand making room for Colin Summerhill, but Edwards has shown why he needs to be behind the plate. He may not always do it with the bat, but he can command the game, and most pitchers want him catching. In Game 1, he came in after Suozzi got hurt, and I think he called a great game, even though the wind was not in favor of the pitching staff.

Extra Innings – Oliver Basabe is the only player to start every game and has yet to record a hit, but he has drawn three walks and struck out only once. It is only a matter of time before he gets back to racking up those hits.

The 219 ‘Cats Player of The Game is J.C. Flowers

The RailCats will travel to Milwaukee to face the Milkmen at 6:30PM.