(Story courtesy Noah Adcock-Howeth, Augusta GreenJackets)
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – After Saturday’s thunderstorms forced a suspended game and subsequent doubleheader Sunday, the GreenJackets were unable to muster any offense across two games against the Cannon Ballers as they were swept on both the day and the week.
Game one began with Augusta facing a 4-0 deficit after Kannapolis scored four in the first off of starter Davis Polo before the rain shut the game down following the second. Augusta elected to place JR Ritchie, the originally scheduled Sunday starter, on the mound for the continuation, and Ritchie largely looked up to the task. In his second game back off the Injured List, Ritchie began his day with three scoreless innings to hold the deficit where it remained.
Ritchie’s fate would change in the sixth, as the Cannon Ballers offense began to cause trouble in their second at bats of the day. A pair of singles from Albertson Asigen and Mason Dinesen put two aboard, though Ritchie induced a lineout to put two away. The righty appeared to be poised to escape unharmed, as he forced Rikuu Nishida to bounce a seemingly routine ground ball to first, but the ball took a chaotic bounce off the unkempt and unmanicured infield dirt over the head of Will Verdung for an RBI double. Two more batters would reach before Ritchie was lifted, and although Reibyn Corona stranded the bases loaded, the damage was done.
The GreenJacket offense was unable to find a rhythm in game one, as they mustered just one run in nine frames via a Will Verdung single in the seventh. Jake Peppers, Manuel Veloz, Jesus Mendez, and Mark McLaughlin combined to allow one run on four hits despite just four strikeouts, as weak contact was the theme of the day in a 7-1 Ballers win.
The nightcap did not fare much better for the road side, as once again Kannapolis jumped out to an early and insurmountable lead. Anthony Garcia got his second start of the year for the ‘Jackets, and surrendered six runs on four hits and three walks in two frames, capped by a soaring three-run homer from Ryan Burrowes in his first game back off the injured list. Garcia took his first losing decision, as the half-dozen runs early were all either side would muster.
Frankeli Arias made his second straight start for Kannapolis, and spun a season-high five scoreless innings while allowing just two singles. Augusta did not post an extra base hit in either game of the twin bill, and Arias united with fellow lefty Patrick Maybach to shut out the GreenJackets. The lost was the 10th in a row against a left-handed starter for Augusta, and the fifth in five tries in games lasting only seven innings (three of which have been against Kannapolis).
After the sweep, Augusta takes a day off Monday before heading east to Myrtle Beach for a six-game set with the Pelicans. Augusta is 7-5 against Myrtle Beach this season, including winning four of six in the previous series meeting. Kannapolis also heads east, driving down to Charleston to see the first place RiverDogs in a potential playoff preview. The GreenJackets will return home at the end of the month on July 30, hosting the Down East Wood Ducks for the first and only time in their final season of existence. Tickets can be found at greenjacketsbaseball.com or by calling (803) 349-9467.
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