(Story courtesy Augusta GreenJackets)
NORTH AUGUSTA – Matt Scannell ended a triple shy of the cycle in his third game with the team, punctuating the night with a go-ahead double to complete a big comeback and a 7-5 win for the GreenJackets (13-5, 48-36) against the Hickory Crawdads (12-6, 46-36) Thursday night.
Scannell’s night began with a solo home run, the only tally of the night for Augusta against Jesus Lafalaise. Lafalaise tallied a career-high nine strikeouts, and two hits from Scannell were the only ones he allowed. His offense, which has so often failed to deliver run support for him, produced five runs before his departure and allowed him to leave with a lead.
All of Hickory’s offense came in the middle innings against GreenJacket starter Derek Vartanian. Vartanian cruised through his first three innings painlessly, but fell apart in the fourth and did not make it through the fifth. Three walks from Vartanian plated three runs in the first run-scoring frame, and a walk and single ended his night with two more home in the fifth.
After Vartanian, the GreenJackets bullpen tightened up and did not allow a hit for the final 4.2 innings of the game. Kade Woods, Cristobal Abreu, and Lewis Sifontes each kept the Crawdads at bay, silencing an offense that had begun to build momentum and enabling Augusta to begin a comeback bid.
The GrenJacket rally sparked in the bottom of the 6th, as Augusta rattled off five straight baserunners against Jormy Nivar with two outs. Alex Lodise doubled before sprinting home on an RBI single from Cody Miller, before a walk put the tying run at the plate. Michael Martinez missed a game-tying homer by about a foot in center, but settled for a two-RBI knock. Martinez advanced on a walk, and new reliever Michael Trausch conceded a bloop single to Cooper McMurray to tie the game.
Scannell capped the rally in the 7th against Trausch, going left on left for the decisive blow. Trausch issued a pair of walks to put the go-ahead run at second, and Scannell saw eight pitches before taking a 3-2 fastball off the left field wall to plate a pair. Abreu and Sifontes each tossed 1-2-3 innings, with the ninth capping on a 9-2-5 double plat incited by Scannell, and the Jackets picked up a fourth consecutive win.
Augusta is now in sole possession of first place for the first time this year, having edged past the Crawdads with three straight wins this week. The Jackets have a chance to pick up an early guarantee of a series victory tomorrow, with hopes that Landon Beidelschies can keep the good vibes going.
Augusta Good News is an award-winning member of the Georgia Press Association, receiving a second place General Excellence in 2025 and 2026. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter here.
