Noah Adcock-Howeth, Augusta GreenJackets
NORTH AUGUSTA – A four-run first inning gave the GreenJackets a lead they would never relinquish as they held firm through the ninth for a 6-4 win, their second in three days against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers.
Fayetteville took an early lead in the top of the first against Rayven Antonio, utilizing a two-out single from Trevor Austin and subsequent double off the bat of Jancel Villarroel to strike first for the second game in a row. Antonio would settle in nicely following the first, working four innings without another run allowed and four strikeouts in a solid second start of the summer.
For the first time in 2024, the GreenJackets went up against a Major League rehabber, as Astros’ reliever Penn Murfee took the ball for the Woodpeckers as he works his way back from elbow surgery. Murfee was on a tight 15-pitch limit, and the GreenJackets attacked early. Four of five batters reached, including a crucial two-run double from Pat Clohisy, who continued his red-hot start to his pro career. Titus Dumitru roped an RBI single to end Murfee’s day, and reliever Hudson Leach struggled with his command, walking in a run for a four-run first.
Neither side added on to their totals in the following frames, as Houston’s No. 8 overall prospect Anderson Brito came out of the bullpen and fired four scoreless, allowing baserunners in every inning but utilizing three outs on the bases to post his zeroes. Fayetteville would finally cut into the deficit when Anthony Garcia came on in relief, scoring a pair in the top of the fifth on RBI singles from Austin and Caden Powell to make it a one-run game.
Augusta’s bats went from knocking on the door to barging straight through in the sixth as Brito gave way to Julio Marte. Harry Owen reached via a one-out fielder’s choice and sprinted to secnd on an E4. Owen would advance on a balk and score on John Gil’s infield single to put the GreenJackets back on the scoreboard. Clohisy poked a line drive that moved Gil first to third, and another balk from Marte made the score 6-3 after six innings.
Garcia settled in nicely for two scoreless innings, and was followed by Juan Sanchez for the eighth. Sanchez would allow one run on a walk and wild pitch in the eighth inning, but posted a scoreless ninth, helping himself out with a phenomenal 1-6-3 double play to eliminate a leadoff hit by pitch. Sanchez earned his second save of the year, while Garcia took his first GreenJackets win due to his three solid innings out of the pen.
The final three games of the series appear destined to be nail-biters given the results of the first three. Ninth round pick Owen Hackman gets the ball Friday for Augusta, battling Yanquiel Sanchez, the only left-handed pitcher on Fayetteville’s roster. Tickets for the week’s slate of games are available at greenjacketsbaseball.com or by calling 803-349-WINS (9467).
