Story courtesy Augusta GreenJackets
COLUMBIA – The Augusta GreenJackets bounced back from a 6-2 loss in Game One of the April 26 doubleheader to snag a 4-0 win and split both the day and the series against the Columbia Fireflies.
In both games Sunday, the losing team was held to just one hit, and it was Augusta’s offense that was quashed to start the afternoon. Despite drawing six walks on the day, the GreenJackets were held to a single hit and two runs as they fell to start the long day of baseball.
That one hit was an impressive one, as Tate Southisene went the other way for a solo home run, his fourth of the season. Augusta’s only other run came via an E3 in the top of the fifth, as Yamvier Carrero tried to go from second to third before the toss from JC Vanek skipped past the dirt and down the line. Zach Royse took his first professional loss, allowing six hits and three runs in four innings including a solo homer from Stone Russell.
The nightcap was a true reversal of fortunes, as Augusta got on the board first and never looked back. It was another solo homer that did the trick, as Luis Guanipa went the other way to right with a fastball from Shane Van Dam for his third homer of the season and first of the road trip.
That one-run lead would end up being more than enough for Davis Polo, who turned in a career performance in his second start of the year. Polo allowed just one hit, a leadoff single to Brooks Bryan in the fourth, and cruised through five scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Polo picked up his first win of the season in the process, in his longest outing since Aug. 2, 2024.
While one run would have been enough, the offense did tack on three insurance runs in the top of the fourth inning, chasing Van Dam and attacking Henson Leal. Tanner Smith began the frame with a double, then hustled to third on a groundout before beating a throw home on a dribbler from Caden Merritt. After a walk ended Van Dam’s day, Leal walked back-to-back men to bring in another run before Southisene’s sacrifice fly brought home the final run.
The bullpen combination of Adiel Melenedez and Drew Christo each worked scoreless innings, and posted their fewest hits allowed of the season along with the team’s first shutout. The win guaranteed a split of the six-game series, and confirmed that the GreenJackets have not lost a six-game set yet this season.
After an off day Monday, the GreenJackets return home for a 12-game homestand, tied for the longest of the year. The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers will be the first of two teams to come to Augusta over the next two weeks, with the series starting on an 11:05 a.m. Education Day game Tuesday morning.
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