FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.- For the fourth night this week, the Augusta GreenJackets played bug to Fayetteville’s windshield, dropping their ninth in ten tries against the Woodpeckers, this time by a score of 5-2.
The GreenJackets struck first for the second time this week, posting a run within the first two batters before Raimy Rodriguez was fully settled. Colby Jones began the day with a walk, and came all the way around one batter later, as Luis Guanipa beat out an infield single where Rodriguez misfired the throw down the line, allowing Jones to come around. Another walk set Augusta on the precipice of a big inning, but a popup and double play induced by Rodriguez curtailed the chance.
Augusta turned to Luis Arestigueta on short rest, hoping for a bounce-back outing from the righty after he went just one inning on Sunday. Arestigueta responded in kind, posting a pair of zeroes before being betrayed by his defense in the third. Esmil Valencia reached to start the frame on an E5 from Joe Olsavsky, and promptly stole second before scoring the tying run on an RBI knock from Hector Salas.
The middle innings belonged to the Woodpeckers, and once again this week it was the bottom of the order doing the heavy lifting. After both sides traded zeroes in the 4th, Valencia opened the bottom of the fifth with an infield single to third. From there, powerful but free-swinging Cam Fisher took the bat, and clobbered a center-cut fastball way over the right-center wall for a two-run shot to put the Woodpeckers in front.
The five innings for Arestigueta were the most in a single outing this year, but the three runs would still hand him the loss. An uphill comeback bid got more difficult in the sixth, when Fayetteville greeted Samuel Mejia with three hits and two runs, led by RBI knocks from Jason Schiavone and Valencia. While Mejia would settle in for his final two innings, the damage was already done.
Rodriguez was impressive after the first, carving through five total innings to put himself in position for his third win of the year. Augusta’s bats stayed dormant until the 7th, when they finally cut into the deficit against hard-throwing reliever Leomar Rosario. Rosario walked Jake Steels and Colby Jones back-to-back, and Luis Guanipa poked an RBI single to score Steels and bring the tying run to the plate. Rosario found his moxie, however, and struck out Isaiah Drake and Douglas Glod to keep Fayetteville comfortably in front.
The Jackets would go out with a whimper, going 1-2-3 in the 8th against Rosario before Cam Brown came on and struck out the side in the ninth for his second save of the year. The Jackets have now extended their losing streak to five total games, and six in a row against Fayetteville. Top prospect Cam Caminiti will take the mound Saturday in a bid to secure Augusta’s first win of the week.
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