COLUMBIA – The Augusta GreenJackets and Columbia Fireflies combined for nine runs on 21 hits through nine innings, but it was the GreenJackets who took an early lead they never relinquished in a 6-3 win Saturday night.
The offensive breakout was crucial for a squad that had totaled just three runs in four games this week, and it started early against Jose Gutierrez. After Gutierrez navigated a pair of singles in a scoreless first, he struggled soon after. Colby Jones began the second with a flared double to right, and would score one batter later as former Gamecock Colin Burgess celebrated his return to Columbia with an RBI single.
The GreenJackets would not stop at one, piling on against Gutierrez in the 3rd to evict him from his second Single-A start early. Eric Hartman continued his torrid return from the IL with a one-out single, and promptly stole both second and third. After Isaiah Drake worked a walk, Jones clubbed a two-run triple for a pair of RBIs. After a popup brought Gutierrez within an out of escaping, Elio Campos chased the young starter with an RBI double.
Despite a dominant start to the night, starter Cam Caminiti ran into a series of long at bats in the third frame, which would prove to be his final of the night. Caminiti punched out six Fireflies in three innings, but saw one run come across in that final inning through a series of unfortunate events. The southpaw walked Aldrin Lucas to start the inning, before Henry Ramos blooped a popup on the left field line. After a ten-pitch duel, Yandel Ricardo dribbled a slow roller through the right side, putting Columbia on the board.
Columbia would tack on once again in the fourth, using a Ramos single off of Jackson Dannelley to cut the deficit in half. Dannelley would right the ship quickly, however, and the run would be the Fireflies’ last until the ninth.
After mustering just one run in four games against Columbia’s bullpen entering tonight, Augusta broke the late-game curse by tallying a pair of runs in the middle innings to create an insurmountable advantage. A wild pitch from Nick Conte brought the lead back to three runs in the 5th, and Hartman obliterated his third homer of the year against Julio Rosario to cap a three-hit night, his second of the year against Columbia.
Albert Rivas threw 2.1 scoreless innings and was honored with his third win of the year as a result, but was replaced in the ninth by Colson Lawrence for a last gasp from the Fireflies. Ramos led off with a single, stole second immediately, and came home on an RBI double from Ricardo to make the game interesting. Lawrence received a brief visit from pitching coach Elvin Nina, and settled in as necessary, retiring the next three hitters including two game-ending strikeouts to pick up Augusta’s first win of the weekend.
The Jackets have a chance to take two of three on the road Sunday night and split the weeklong series with Columbia should they snare a win. Luis Arestigueta will take the mound on extended rest, after a season-high five innings last time out in Fayetteville.
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