(Story courtesy Augusta GreenJackets)
KANNAPOLIS, NC: One night after rolling into a season-high three double plays, the GreenJackets bounced into two more Saturday night, including a back-breaking inning ender in the bottom of the eighth as they fell 2-1 against the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.
Augusta (28-22) ended up on the wrong side of the pitchers’ duel, but it was not for lack of effort from starter Zach Royse. Royse posted his fourth quality start of the year, and tied his career-high with eight strikeouts in a losing effort. Royse spun seven innings, the second-longest outing by a GreenJacket this year, trailing only his own outing two weeks ago in Myrtle Beach.
While Royse was scoreless in his final five innings, Kannapolis (26-24) tagged him for one run in each of the first two frames, and that stood up for the rest of the game. The Ballers opened the scoring in the first on an RBI groundout from Javier Mogollon, scoring Abraham Nunez after a leadoff double. The leadoff swing hurt Royse in the second as well, as Alexander Albertus began the second with a solo homer to double the lead.
As great as Zach Royse was, Riley Eikhoff was even better, as the league’s leader in innings pitched shoved through 6.1 scoreless frames as he secured his fourth win of the year. Eikhoff allowed just four hits and a walk, and used a 6-4-3 double play in the third to quell the only frame with multiple baserunners.
The Jackets’ best chance for offense came in the eighth, as Ryan Schiefer loaded the bases with no outs. Schiefer walked two and allowed a single to Alex Lodise, before he was yanked in favor of closer Marco Barrios. Barrios allowed a run to score on an RBI fielder’s choice from Luis Guanipa, but followed it up by inducing the inning-ending double play from Juan Mateo that kept the Ballers in front.
Augusta put the leadoff man on in the top of the ninth, but three straight hard hit outs ended the comeback bid and kept Kannapolis’ hopes of a series split alive. With the loss combined with a loss by Hickory on the road, the GreenJackets remain a game out of first place with sixteen games left in the half.
Sunday’s series finale sees Davis Polo make the start in pursuit of a 4-2 series victory. After dropping the series at home against the Cannon Ballers last month, and with no further meetings scheduled this year, it’s Augusta’s final chance to get redemption against Kannapolis in 2026. The Ballers have not officially announced their starter, but ace Max Banks is expected to throw in some capacity in the 1:30 matinee.
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