(Story by Noah Adcock-Howeth, Augusta GreenJackets)
NORTH AUGUSTA – Phenomenal pitching from the Down East Wood Ducks continued Sunday, as Jose Gonzalez, Victor Simeon and Adonis Villavicencio combined for the third consecutive shutout 4-0.
The week featured a battle of two teams on opposite courses in the second half, and the streaks that both sides came in with have extended through the course of this series. The Wood Ducks have now won 10 in a row, the longest active streak in Single-A baseball, while the GreenJackets drop their franchise-record 14th in a row.
David Rodriguez took the ball for his first professional start, and was solid against a red-hot offense. The righty from California tossed five innings and allowed seven hits, giving up three runs and taking the loss on the day. Down East would open the scoring with two outs in the second, as Chandler Pollard beat out an infield single, stole second and raced home on a blooper from Wady Mendez. The Wood Ducks tacked on a pair in the fourth with an Echedry Vargas single and two-out double from Julian Brock.
The day opened with some excitement for the ‘Jackets who promoted 11 players up to the roster for either their full-season or professional debut. Five of those newcomers were in the lineup Sunday, and three recorded their first professional hit. Patrick Clohisy from the University of St. Louis went 2-4 with a steal, Titus Dumitru of New Mexico State had a base hit and stolen base, and Colby Jones represented Northwest Florida State well by pounding out a single to add himself to the board.
Despite the milestone moments, the ‘Jackets found themselves unable to tally a run for the third game in a row. Augusta scattered seven hits but none for extra bases, held in check all night and adding a pair of double plays to hamstring themselves further. Starter Jose Gonzalez earned the win through five innings, and is now tied for the league lead in strikeouts with 105. Victor Simeon navigated through three innings of his own, and Adonis Villavicencio worked a 1-2-3 ninth to ice down the game. Down East would tack on an extra run on a sacrifice fly against Juan Sanchez in the eighth, certifying their 10th straight win.
The GreenJackets are currently scheduled to head to Charleston on Tuesday to begin a six-game series with the RiverDogs. With Tropical Storm Debby rapidly approaching landfall, Augusta will keep an eye on the forecast as the GreenJackets attempt to head to the coast and snap the losing streak. The Wood Ducks will return home to host the surging Myrtle Beach Pelicans in a clash of red-hot teams vying for a second-half playoff spot. Augusta will next be at home Aug. 13 to host a six-game series against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers.
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