RailCats manager Greg Tagert sang the praises of left-hander Jeff McKenzie before Friday night’s must-win Game 3 of the American Association North Division series against St. Paul.
“We have the right guy on the mound with his mindset,” Tagert said of McKenzie. “He has a sheer competitiveness that is outstanding.”
McKenzie delivered as the RailCats staved off elimination with a 5-0 victory against the Saints at the Steel Yard.
He pitched seven shutout innings, allowing five hits — all singles — with three strikeouts and one walk.
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“Growing up, I’ve always loved having the ball in those pressure situations — championship games, elimination games,” McKenzie said. “I have faith in our team. I have faith in myself. I knew if I got the ball in Game 3, I was going to give it everything I had.”
After the game, Tagert added to his praise of McKenzie.
“Outstanding performance when we needed it most,” Tagert said. “It was as good of a postseason performance as you’re going to see.”
With St. Paul still leading 2-1 in the best-of-five series, Game 4 is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. Saturday at the Steel Yard. Left-hander Austin Wright (1-1, 3.66 ERA) is slated to start for the RailCats, with righty Trevor Foss (4-2, 3.04) going for the Saints.
In Game 3, McKenzie had it all working.
“I was able to attack with the fastball and mix it up with the off-speed,” McKenzie said. “They love to be aggressive, and I was mixing it up and keeping them off-balance. And it definitely helped with the wind blowing in.”
Tillman Pugh paced the RailCats, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. They jumped out with a run in the first and added two more in the second.
“We knew with our back against the wall, we had to come out with a lot of energy and get to them first,” Pugh said. “After the loss (Thursday), the energy was still high, guys still were having fun and had a lot of confidence. We knew good things could happen.”
The RailCats, who got swept by Wichita in last season’s first round, maintained their focus after dropping both games in St. Paul. They didn’t panic as they returned to the Steel Yard, where they went 30-20 during the regular season.
“Home-field advantage is always good to have,” Pugh said. “The biggest thing, the ball doesn’t really fly here. We get to play RailCats baseball. We’re not going to beat you with the long ball — we’re going to hit line drives and move guys over.
“As you saw, St. Paul hit some balls that might’ve gone out at their place, but not here — not at the Steel Yard. It’s great to come here and have that confidence to know they have to put the ball in play a little bit differently.”
To open the first inning, the RailCats strung together three straight singles, including Pugh’s hit for an RBI. In the second, D.K. Carey bunted for a hit to score a run and Pugh added his second RBI single.
Randy Santiesteban’s two-run single with two outs in the fifth gave the RailCats a 5-0 advantage.
“The club showed exactly the reason why we are where we are,” Tagert said. “Every club has character. But the resilience and belief of this group, that desire to compete, it’s impressive.”