The RailCats’ elation from the final day of the regular season turned to frustration on the first day of the postseason.
They dropped a 4-2 decision to Wichita on Wednesday night at the Steel Yard in Game 1 of a best-of-5 first-round series.
Wingnuts right-hander Danny Gutierrez shut out the RailCats on two hits in seven innings, retiring the last 15 batters he faced. He had seven strikeouts with no walks.
With the RailCats trailing 4-1, Alex Crosby — on 11 pitches — and Colin Willis drew back-to-back walks to start the ninth. Frank Martinez’s one-out RBI single made it 4-2, but Kris Goodman and Wilfredo Gimenez struck out.
“Tying run on in the ninth,” RailCats manager Greg Tagert said. “We needed something big there in addition to the walks.”
Wichita took a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Matt Chavez had an RBI single, one of three hits in the inning, and Richard Prigatano legged out a fielder’s choice to score another run.
The Wingnuts made it 4-0 with two runs in the seventh. Martin Medina drove in a run with a single and a second run crossed on the play when the ball eluded right fielder Colin Willis for an error.
The RailCats broke up the shutout in the eighth. Gimenez led off with a single, moved to third on two wild pitches and scored on Andy DeJesus’ groundout.
Aryton Costa took the loss, allowing two runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings.
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“Aryton did a fantastic job,” Tagert said. “He was exactly what we hoped for.
“It’s tough to be disappointed to hold Wichita to four runs.”
Game 2 is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Thursday at the Steel Yard.
“Game 1 is nice, but it’s never the difference-maker in what happens,” Tagert said. “It would be nice to get one before we head to Wichita.”
The RailCats are making their first appearance in the playoffs since 2013, when they won the American Association championship.
Third baseman Randy Santiesteban was activated before the game. He hasn’t played since Aug. 12 at Fargo-Moorhead, fouling a ball off the top of his left foot and suffering a severe bone bruise.
“To be able to contribute and help in any way I can, it’s amazing,” Santiesteban said before the game. “Being part of a ballclub like this, we haven’t been in the postseason in four years, I’ve had guys write to me on Instagram from years before, guys from the last three years who didn’t make it. They were so happy for us.”
The RailCats secured that elusive berth Monday. Their walk-off win against Lincoln and Fargo’s loss at Winnipeg sent them to a matchup with the Wingnuts.
They made the playoffs six straight times from 2005 to 2010 in the Northern League, with titles in 2005 and 2007.
“This was never taken for granted when we were playing in consecutive postseasons,” Tagert said before the game. “But as they got fewer and farther between, it is rewarding that we get a chance to play in September and hopefully even a little deeper.
“To be one of the four teams left, this club certainly earned every bit of it. I’m sure there’s a couple of clubs sitting at home that feel like they may have deserved to be here. But at the end of the day, the RailCats are one of the best four teams and I’m proud of that.”
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