Jackets drop rubber game in Fayetteville July 16

 FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Augusta GreenJackets dropped the rubber game 9-2 in a three-game set against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers on Sunday at Segra Stadium, concluding the brief season series between the Carolina League affiliates of the last two World Series champions.

Fayetteville (7-10, 37-46) got a measure of revenge for Saturday’s blowout loss, while Augusta (8-10, 39-44) failed to hold the Peckers from the base paths, only notching four strikeouts on the afternoon, according to a news release from the Augusta GreenJackets.

Seth Keller took the mound for Augusta, making his second consecutive start. After Augusta went scoreless in the first, the Woodpeckers capitalized on an error to score the game’s first run in the bottom of the frame. The GreenJackets would not record their first hit until Jair Casanova doubled in the top of the fifth.

Before that point, the Woodies extended their advantage to 4-0, chasing Keller after three innings as Nolan Martinez entered in relief two batters into the fourth. Martinez also proved susceptible to the Fayetteville offense, who tacked on another run in the fifth and sixth innings to make it 6-0. Chad Bryant entered in the seventh and fared no better, giving up three runs in the frame on a trio of two-baggers. The Woodpeckers recorded seven doubles in the course of the game. 

Elison Joseph pitched a scoreless eighth, before Augusta clawed two runs back in the top of the ninth on Jeremy Celedonio’s third homer of the last two games and 14th of the season, making the eventual final score 9-2. Keller picked up the loss, his first losing decision in his professional career.

The lone bright spot for Augusta was once again Justin Janas, who collected two more hits, bringing his total to eight over the three-game series (8-for-14). With those two hits, he moved to 88 on the season, nine shy of the record for a single season since the Braves and GreenJackets began their affiliation in 2021.

Augusta returns home on Tuesday to take on the Fredericksburg Nationals for six games. Promotions include a Spencer Strider Bobblehead giveaway, Thursday night fireworks, and more. To purchase tickets and learn more about next week’s homestand, visit https://www.milb.com/augusta/fans/gj-homestand-preview.