(Story courtesy Augusta GreenJackets)
NORTH AUGUSTA – The GreenJackets drew six walks and two hit by pitches, but were befallen by double plays and caught stealings in a frustrating 4-2 loss to the Delmarva Shorebirds June 4.
Augusta (30-24) received another quality start from Derek Vartanian, his third of the season, but it was not enough to quell the suddenly surging Shorebirds. Delmarva (19-35) took the lead three batters into the game on an RBI groundout from DJ Layton, and never looked back, holding the lead for all nine innings for the second night in a row.
Vartanian would settle in well and allow just one more run in the game, on a two-out double from Jose Perez in the top of the 5th, but was still saddled with his third loss of the year. Delmarva, meanwhile, received three solid innings from Esteban Mejia, who worked around a bases-loaded jam in the third with a Luis Guanipa double play to keep Augusta scoreless.
Reliever J.D. Hennon posted a pair of scoreless innings behind Mejia, allowing runners in both frames but getting a caught stealing each time to keep Augusta scoreless. The Jackets were unable to figure out Kailen Hamson either, as Hamson used yet another double play to avoid his two free passes allowed in the sixth and seventh.
Augusta finally broke the shutout bid in the bottom of the eighth, with the bottom of the order leading the way. Hayden Friese began the frame with his third walk of the night, and Joe Olsavsky followed up with a single. Tate Southisene poked an RBI single the other way to score a run, and the Jackets had the tying run at second with no outs, but Hamson got three soft outs on five pitches to stay in front.
Delmarva got its biggest swing of the night in the top of the ninth, as Edwin Amparo hit a two-run moonshot off of Carter Lovasz to extend the lead up to three. That swing would matter tremendously, as Nick Montgomery hit a solo homer in the bottom half that would have otherwise tied the game. Augusta did bring the tying run to the plate with two outs, but Kenny Leiner punched out Olsavsky to pick up his first save of the season.
The Shorebirds have now won back-to-back games for the first time since May 8, and will look to secure their first series split since that same week Friday at SRP Park. Briggs McKenzie will make his highly anticipated Single-A debut on the mound for the GreenJackets, trying to keep this potent Delmarva lineup at bay.
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