MYRTLE BEACH, SC: In just his second Single-A game, Daniel Brooks survived a heart-pounding final five outs, stranding the tying run in scoring position in both the eighth and ninth innings as he secured Augusta’s second straight win in a 4-3 thriller.
The GreenJackets (33-29) had just three hits in the game, all of them singles, but did just enough offensively to provide the necessary cushion for their pitching to hold down the win. Augusta used six walks, a hit by pitch, and four wild pitches to further the cause, despite the lack of extra base hits.
Augusta’s first lead of the game came two batters into the first inning, just as it did last night. Cody Miller was hit by a pitch from Kaleb Wing, and took second on the game’s first wild pitch before Conor Essenburg hammered a single to drive him home. Essenburg has now totaled five hits, five RBIs, and eight walks this week as he settles into Single-A play.
Zach Royse was impressive en route to his third win of the season, pushing through 5.2 strong frames while totaling seven strikeouts. The Pelicans (23-37) tagged him for just two runs in the game, tying the contest in the first on an RBI single from Cody Poteet before Alexey Lumpuy roped a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth.
The Jackets took the lead for good in the third, as Wing’s command deteriorated in a way it had not yet done as a pro. The young starter walked four straight men, bringing home a run before his night ended prematurely. Reliever Yoendris Gonzalez would retire the next two hitters to end the inning, but his first pitch of the night was a sacrifice fly from Cooper McMurray that doubled the lead.
Augusta’s only two hits after the first came in the sixth inning against Jhon Rosario, as Juan Mateo and Tanner Smith each found outfield grass and scored one more run. Neither side had much more to offer in terms of offensive output, until the Pelicans threatened in the eighth.
Kendy Richard gave up a walk to Eli Lovich and an RBI double to Michael Carico in that penultimate inning, forcing Brad Stoll to turn to Brooks for the five-out save. Despite the relative inexperience for the big righty, he calmly stranded Carico in scoring position before navigating a one-out walk in the ninth to ice the win. The save is Brooks’ first at any level, as he did not record one in four years at College of Charleston or in summer collegiate play.
The Jackets have now won three of five games this week, and seven of eleven games against the Pelicans this year. There’s just one more game at Pelicans Ballpark left on the docket this season, and it comes at 6:35 p.m. Sunday as Davis Polo tries to hand Augusta a series win, while Pierce Coppola attempts to secure a split for Myrtle Beach.
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