(Story courtesy Augusta GreenJackets)
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Down to their final out, the Augusta GreenJackets strung together five consecutive hits to take the lead over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, picking up a 5-2 victory in dramatic fashion June 9.
The climactic rally began after Jhon Rosario survived two flyouts to the fence, before Cody Miller and Michael Martinez each lined singles up the middle to put two on. Alex Lodise followed with a line drive to center that scored Miller, before Luis Guanipa whacked a ball the other way to give the GreenJackets (31-27) the lead. Juan Mateo, leaving nothing to chance, picked up a huge dose of insurance with a two-run double that proved insurmountable.
The day began in fine fashion, as Carter Holton made his successful return to the Augusta roster after missing nearly 22 months recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Despite the lengthy layoff, and having just three rehab appearances under his belt, Holton looked to be in midseason form. The Georgia-born lefty tossed five scoreless innings, tallying six strikeouts and allowing just three hits as he flummoxed the Myrtle Beach (21-35) offense time and again.
While Holton was dealing for Augusta, Pelicans’ starter David Bracho was incredibly impressive in his own right through four strong frames. Bracho picked up six Ks in his first three frames, and did not allow a hit until the fourth. That one hit would prove to be costly, however, as Lodise led off the inning with a triple before scoring the game’s first run on a Guanipa sacrifice fly.
The Pelicans did not concede despite struggling early, and the efforts of Bracho and Avitia to keep Augusta from extending the lead enabled Myrtle Beach to get back in the game. The Pelicans would tie the game in the seventh against Aiven Cabral, as Geuri Lubo hooked a two-strike slider over the short porch in left field to snatch a winning decision from Holton.
After tying the game in the seventh, the Pelicans took the lead one frame later, handing Cabral his first professional blown save. Eli Lovich hammered a one-out double to the wall in left, then got a perfect read on a bloop hit from Logan Poteet to score the go-ahead run. Cabral would strand Poteet at first, and then allowed his offense to perform their comeback efforts in the ninth.
The final score washes out Augusta’s five-game losing streak, and keeps the run of success in Tuesday games alive as Augusta has won 10 of 11 on those dates. The Pelicans, meanwhile, have now lost eight in a row, and will look to bounce back Wednesday against Ethan Bagwell and a well-rested GreenJackets’ bullpen.
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