By Noah Adcock-Howeth, Augusta GreenJackets
NORTH AUGUSTA — Isaiah Drake extended his hit streak May 6 to a career-high six games with another multi-hit day, but Augusta sputtered with runners in scoring position as the team fell to the Hickory Crawdads 3-1 at SRP Park.
While Drake accounted for half of the team’s total hits, no GreenJacket could solve starter Kamdyn Perry, as he threw his second straight hitless start against Augusta with five flawless innings. Perry punched out a career-high six hitters, and has now thrown nine total hitless innings against Augusta this season.
Perry didn’t need much run support, and never pitched without a lead as Maxton Martin opened the game with a leadoff homer that cascaded into the Savannah River behind right field. It was the first of two homers allowed by Augusta starter Samuel Mejia, who also gave up a moonshot off the apartment patios in left field to Pablo Guerrero en route to his second loss of the year.
The ‘Jackets scratched across their first hit of the day thanks to John Gil in the sixth against Michael Trausch, but left men in scoring position in both the sixth and seventh innings as the team combined to go 0-6 with runners in scoring position.
Augusta finally got on the board in the eighth, as Mason Guerra clobbered a triple to deep left center field, missing a home run by a matter of inches. He scored on Gil’s chopper, and cut the deficit to two. The Jackets threatened in the ninth, starting the frame with a walk and single against Luke Savage. Savage righted the ship quickly, getting a pair of pop ups before striking out Mac Guscette to secure the win.
The GreenJackets fall in their fifth and final education day of the year, ending the season at 2-3 in 11 a.m. starts. The Jackets now can sleep soundly, returning to a night game Wednesday yas Luke Sinnard and J’Briell Easley face off at SRP Park.
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