(Story courtesy Augusta GreenJackets)
NORTH AUGUSTA – Davis Polo allowed just one run and struck out eight in 5.2 impressive innings, but the offense was unable to muster a run as the GreenJackets (9-5, 44-36) fell for the third straight night against the Salem RidgeYaks (7-7, 32-47) 1-0.
Polo went blow for blow with Jason Gilman, Salem’s starter who dazzled through six scoreless and earned his first professional win. The two starters combined to allow just six hits and strike out 17, with Polo’s eight Ks being surpassed by the nine totaled for Gilman.
The game’s one and only run came in the top of the third, and began with Polo’s lone walk of the day. Polo let Anderson Fermin on base via the free pass, before Ilan Fernandez hooked a soft line drive down the left field line. Fermin was off to the races, and though Augusta executed a perfect relay to the plate, Austin Machado dropped the ball on his tag attempt and Fermin scored safely for the lead.
Augusta did not push a man past first base against Gilman, and did not have a hit after the second inning for the entirety of the game. The Jackets unlocked a key chance in the seventh, thanks to three walks from Jay Allmer, but Michael Martinez’s deep fly ball was caught against the 395-foot marker in center field and Luis Guanipa’s bases-loaded drive died at the track to keep the Jackets scoreless.
Cristobal Abreu, Logan Forsythe, and Daniel Brooks combined for 3.1 scoreless innings of relief, giving Augusta a chance for late-game heroism. Harry Blum retired the first two batters of the ninth with relative ease, but opened the door for Augusta with back-to-back walks to Austin Machado and Luis Parababire. Blum fell behind 3-1 on Hayden Friese, and Friese crushed a fly ball to deep right-center, but Skylar King ran it down against the wall as Augusta came five feet shy of a homer, and five feet shy of a win.
Augusta has now lost three in a row at home for just the second time this year, with both times happening against opponents with a sub-.500 record. The Jackets still have a chance to split the series with the RidgeYaks Sunday, as AJ Smith-Shawver makes his second rehab start of the week in the finale against Salem at 6:35 p.m.
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.
