(Story courtesy Augusta GreenJackets)
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Joe Olsavsky broke a late tie with his first home run of the year, igniting a three-run seventh that propelled the GreenJackets to a 7-4 win over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on May 17.
Augusta (21-18) scored in the top of the first for the second night in a row, taking an early lead against starter David Bracho in his second appearance of the week. Alex Lodise and Luis Guanipa each lashed singles, and after a perfect double steal, Lodise sprinted home on a wild pitch. On the same play, catcher Henniel Alcala booted the throw home in his team debut, and his error scored Guanipa to double the lead.
Davis Polo carved through the first two innings in his fifth start of the year, but ran into trouble in the bottom of the third. Edward Vargas ripped a sharp single to reach base for the first time this week, and Alexis Hernandez took advantage of a hanging slider by depositing it into the left field bleachers for his first homer of the year, tying the game.
Augusta jumped back in front in the top of the fifth, celebrating Bracho’s departure by ambushing Hayden Frank. Olsavsky led off the inning with a single, and took second on a knock from Luis Sanchez. Frank retired two in a row, but Guanipa crushed a double down the left field line, with Sanchez diving past the tag at home to give the Jackets another two-run lead.
Once again, Myrtle Beach (18-19) responded to tie the game, chasing Polo in the process as fatigue set in. Polo walked the first two batters of the inning, and an RBI single and sacrifice fly from the Pelicans made it 4-4. Polo gave way to Lewis Sifontes, and Sifontes was able to strand the go-ahead run and keep things tied.
Olsavsky stayed hot against Frank in the seventh, cracking the first pitch he saw to the top of the stands in left for his first homer of the year and the lead. Augusta was not done, however, and put two more men on before a throwing error from Alcala and another RBI double from Guanipa made it 7-4.
That three-run lead was more than enough for the Jackets, as Kendy Richard took over in the 6th and cruised through the back half of the ballgame. Richard worked four hitless innings, with a ninth-inning walk his only blemish. Richard has now gone nine straight scoreless innings after a rough April, and appears to be finding his footing in his first full season in the Carolina League.
The GreenJackets pick up their fourth win out of six against the Pelicans this week, and have now won three of their last six series in the first half of the season. Augusta sits a game out of first place with a month to go in the first half, and now heads home to host the Columbia Fireflies, against whom they split a six-game set on the road in April.
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