Story courtesy Noah Adcock-Howeth, Augusta GreenJackets
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Forced to play two after back to back rainouts, the GreenJacket offense was curtailed in both portions of the twin bill as the Pelicans swept the day with two wins, 2-0 and 9-1.
The day’s first game began as a pitchers’ duel, with JR Ritchie and Juan Bello going toe to toe and firing three consecutive zeroes each. Both arms battled without giving up any runs into the fourth, when Pelicans’ center fielder Alfonsin Rosario kicked off the bottom of the inning with a towering home run beyond the grandstand in left field. Not to be outdone, Designated Hitter Andy Garriola stepped in immediately after and did the same thing, extending his league-leading home run total to 17 and putting Myrtle Beach up 2-0 in the fourth. Ritchie would leave one batter later. Although Giomar Diaz worked 2.2 scoreless innings, the ‘Jackets offense was submerged and shut out in Game One.
Myrtle Beach wasted no time in the second game, exploding for a bevy of runs against starter Davis Polo. Each of the Pelicans’ first four hitters reached in the bottom of the first, and six total hits in the frame posted five runs in the home side’s first chance. A Garriola double added one more in the second, and Polo’s day was done after two frames and half a dozen runs.
Augusta’s offense showed a bit of fight in the second against starter Tyler Schlaffer, beginning the frame with a Will Verdung double and Noah Williams single, but a Jacob Godman double play on a controversial runner’s interference call limited the threat to just one run. The GreenJackets would not score the rest of the way despite the efforts of Isaiah Drake, who has reached safely in every game this week, and John Gil, who is 5-13 in four games at Pelicans Ballpark during his first full series in Single-A.
The Pelicans would add a run in the third against Adam Shoemaker, and a pair in the fifth off of Rolando Gutierrez, to seal their victory in the nightcap by a score of 9-1. The GreenJackets have one more chance to end their seven-game road skid Sunday evening against starter JP Wheat before heading home after this lengthy road trip.
The GreenJackets will finally return home on Tuesday, hosting the Down East Wood Ducks for the first and only time in their final season of existence before moving to Spartanburg. Tickets for the week’s slate of games can be found at greenjacketsbaseball.com or by calling (803) 349-9467.
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