Noah Adcock-Howeth, Augusta GreenJackets
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The GreenJackets ended their franchise-record 14 game losing streak in dramatic fashion Friday, knocking off the first place Charleston RiverDogs in extra innings to take game one of a doubleheader on the road.
With storms circling the park early in the afternoon, and on the tail end of three consecutive rainouts, both sides were wary entering game one of the day. Charleston ended up scratching their starter, shifting from ace Gary Gill Hill to an opener in Dalton Fowler in case the rain came early. Fowler got off to a rocky start, as a single, E1, and walk loaded the bases for Augusta with nobody out. Pat Clohisy rolled a grounder to first to give Augusta a 1-0 lead, their first run scored in 29 innings. Fowler would punch out the next two men he saw to hold Augusta to just one.
Starter Didier Fuentes dazzled early for Augusta, holding the Dogs hitless for 2.2 innings. Fuentes’ good fortune was short lived, as he was forced to exit in the third due to a blister on his throwing hand. Fuentes was supplanted by Anthony Garcia, who stranded two in the third to keep the Jackets in front. Charleston pounced on Garcia in the fourth, using two walks and a single to load the bags with one out. Raudelis Martinez stroked a sac fly to center to tie the game, but could not extend the lead against Garcia.
Neither side could solve the other in seven innings, especially with Gill Hill taking the ball after the third and proceeding to dominate to the tune of six scoreless innings on one hit. Both sides threatened in the eighth, with the GreenJackets stranding the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth and Jacob Gomez holding the Dogs scoreless in the ninth. Will Verdung proved to be the hero in the top of the ninth, cracking a two-out single up the middle to give the GreenJackets the lead. Reibyn Corona worked a 1-2-3 bottom half for his fourth save of the year, ending the losing streak and bringing the GreenJackets their first win in 26 days.
Game two was once again low-scoring, albeit substantially more sloppy on both sides. Rayven Antonio made his full-season debut and fought valiantly through command issues, allowing three hits and four walks in 2.2 innings but holding the Dogs to just one run. Charleston’s starter fared no better, as Garrett Edwards lasted just two batters before leaving due to injury.
After the 1-0 lead earned early by Charleston, every run for the rest of the night was unearned. The Jackets put two on and two out in the top of the fourth against Luis Hernandez, with Will Verdung hitting for a chance to tie or take the lead. After a 9-pitch at bat, Hernandez induced a seemingly routine infield popup, but 2nd baseman Narciso Polanco crashed into first baseman Enzo Paulino, causing him to drop the ball and both men to score. The Dogs got the run back and then some in the fifth, using a Cam Magee one-out error to spoil Owen Hackman’s debut via a Carlos Colmenarez RBI single and 2-RBI double from Paulino. Gerlin Rosario worked a spotless ninth, getting his seventh save of the year.
The set of five games in three days continues tomorrow, marking the lone single game of the weekend. JR Ritchie takes the ball for Augusta at 6:05 p.m. going against Trevor Harrison of Charleston. The GreenJackets will return home Tuesday evening, to begin a six-game series against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. Tickets for the week’s slate of games can be found at greenjacketsbaseball.com or by calling (803) 349-9467.
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