(Story courtesy Augusta GreenJackets)
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — A week full of strong pitching performances came to a head Saturday night, as righty Adam Maier and lefty Mitch Farris combined to hurl nine scoreless innings against the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers in a 6-0 win, the first shutout of the 2024 season.
The two clubs were locked in a pitchers’ duel early, as Maier and Kannapolis starter Lucas Gordon each posted zeroes in the first two innings of the evening. The tie was broken in the third, however, when right fielder Kade Kern launched a high arcing shot to deep left field for a solo home run, the first homer of the season for Augusta. The ‘Jackets would tack one more run on in the fifth against Gordon, when Leiker Figueroa led off the frame with a triple and came around to score on a Luis Sanchez single.
Adam Maier, in just his second professional start, worked five magical innings where he displayed poise and command en route to his first professional win. The 2022 seventh-round pick out of Oregon allowed just two hits and struck out six, while not walking a batter or allowing a run.
Maier was piggybacked upon by Mitch Farris, who only continued the momentum by hurling four scoreless frames for his first professional save. Farris allowed just three hits and struck out seven, tying his career high while also not walking a batter.
The offense added some welcome cushion in the late stages, scoring twice in the seventh and once each in the eighth and ninth to push the lead to half a dozen, the largest margin of victory of the year for the GreenJackets.
The GreenJackets are back in action tomorrow afternoon for the series finale, where an Augusta win would salvage a series split in the six-game set. Riley Frey will make his second appearance and first start of 2024 with Augusta after spending the last month of the year with the GreenJackets in 2023. He will match up with righty Jake Bockenstedt, starting for the second time this season for Kannapolis after taking the loss in his 2024 debut last Sunday in Charleston.
Augusta will be back home at SRP Park next Tuesday, April 16, for a six-game homestand against the Carolina Mudcats. The fun-filled week includes Teacher Appreciation Day, Dinosaur Day, and Augusta Rams Night, where the ‘Jackets take the field in special jerseys honoring the 1954 Augusta Rams and Leonard Hunt, the first Black player to play professional baseball in Augusta. More info can be found here: https://www.milb.com/augusta/fans/gj-homestand-preview.
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