FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Augusta GreenJackets grabbed a huge morale-building win in Fayetteville Sunday, tying the game late in regulation before grabbing a 7-4 win in 11 innings thanks to a pair of timely swings.
It was evident early that both teams would need heavy bullpen production, as Fayetteville started Twine Palmer as an opener and Augusta used Seth Keller to start as the first of six relievers that divided up the ballgame. Neither starter would make it past the second, as both Palmer and Keller struggled with command early.
The Woodpeckers took an early lead in Keller’s only inning of work, as he walked four men that led to two runs. A caught stealing shortened the damage in the first, but a throwing error on a steal of third and an RBI double from Waner Luciano plated the pair of runners.
The GreenJackets would answer back in the second, chasing Palmer as he walked four himself and got just one out in the second. Augusta loaded the bags before a Joe Olsavsky free pass got Augusta on the board, and a subsequent wild pitch from reliever Dawil Almonte on his first pitch of the night tied the ballgame.
While neither side had many big offensive swings early, Fayetteville produced the game’s lone homer in the bottom of the fourth against Jackson Dannelley. Leading off the frame, Esmil Valencia clubbed a hanging sweeper to the top of the left field berm for his third homer of the year and a 3-2 lead. The tally would be the last Fayetteville posted in regulation, as the back end of the ‘Jackets pen was lights out.
Augusta could solve neither Almonte nor Joan Ogando, until shoddy defense from Fayetteville opened the door in the seventh. Elio Campos reached on an infield single, and went first to third when Joe Olsavsky’s own infield dribbler turned into a throw down the line from catcher Kedaur Trujillo. Owen Carey was once again the man for the moment, poking a grounder past the mound to score Campos and tie the game.
After neither side made a dent in the eighth or ninth, the Jackets stared down reliever Cam Brown in the 10th with a chance to take their first lead of the night. Once again, situational hitting was the key, As John Gil bunted Olsavsky to third before another RBI grounder from Carey scored him. Fayetteville would answer immediately in the 10th, knotting the game on a one-out single from Max Holy before a popup and punchout forced another inning.
The 11th was Augusta’s finest hour, as the offense finally made a dent against Brown after he had thrown eight scoreless innings across four outings against the Jackets this year. Colby Jones wore a one-out hit by pitch, and both he and the automatic runner Luis Guanipa scored on one swing, as Nick Montgomery clobbered his first career triple for a two-run lead. Campos would tack on another with a two-out single, and Augusta had a comfortable advantage to seal the victory.
Rivas’ 1-2-3 bottom half handed the Jackets the win, and moved the team back up above .500 on the year at 36-35. Augusta drops both the week and season series to the Woodpeckers, but now have momentum going into a key six-game set against the Columbia Fireflies, which will begin Tuesday with the first of three games at SRP Park.
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