(Story courtesy Augusta GreenJackets)
CHARLESTON, S.C. – In the 131st and final game of the 2026 season, the Augusta GreenJackets (35-30, 70-61) watched their bullpen allow just one earned run in six strong innings as the offense did just enough to eclipse the Charleston RiverDogs (36-30, 73-59) by a 3-2 final to wrap up the year Sept. 6.
Will Holmes, who spent his college seasons pitching here in Charleston for The Citadel, took the ball to start and was stellar in his second professional outing. Holmes worked through three scoreless innings, striking out four men and allowing just two hits to end what has been a solid week of starting pitching.
Charleston took their lone lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth, displaying the patience they have featured all week long to secure a run against Logan Forsythe. Forsythe issued three walks and a hit by pitch, the latter of which brought home Taitn Gray from third with two outs. Forsythe would then strike out Andres Torres to limit the damage, and the pen would not give up an earned run the rest of the day.
Augusta’s bats sprung to life in the top of the fifth, after being held quiet early by Alex Wallace. The Jackets tied the game courtesy of Junior Tilien, who doubled to the wall to score Dominic Kibler and get Augusta on the board. Two outs later, Manuel Campos capped his brilliant first stateside season with an RBI single the other way for the lead.
The GreenJackets doubled the lead in the next inning against reliever Nate Smithburg, drawing two walks against the sidewinder to set the stage before Yamvier Carrero knocked a two-out single that scored the team’s third and final run. Augusta was unable to tack on late, and left multiple men on base in two of the final three innings, but found victory thanks to the bullpen.
After taking the lead, the Jackets used a series of arms in relief to finish the season finale. Ryan Heppner tossed a pair of scoreless frames in his third game of the week, and Cristobal Abreu worked around four free passes and two errors of his own to allow just one unearned run and strand a handful of men. Lewis Sifontes bailed out Abreu by getting the last two outs of the eighth, before cruising through the ninth in order to end the year with his eighth save of a strong first season in Augusta.
The GreenJackets end the season 70-61, winning 70 games for the first time since 2019. Augusta set a handful of franchise and Braves-era records, including the most home runs overall in a year (137) and most at SRP Park (85). A handful of top prospects such as Tate Southisene, Briggs McKenzie, and Alex Lodise showed their talents in GreenJacket uniforms, while unheralded stars like Davis Polo, Daniel Brooks and Cooper McMurray emerged into the spotlight.
With the regular season done, the layoff period sets in, with the Jackets off the field until April 2, 2027. Augusta will open the 2027 campaign with a nine-game road trip, before returning home for the first of 66 home games at SRP Park on Tuesday, April 13 against the Charleston RiverDogs.
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