(Story courtesy Augusta GreenJackets; Photo of Jhancarlos Lara of the Augusta GreenJackets by Mike Adams/Augusta Good News)
NORTH AUGUSTA – The Augusta GreenJackets fell to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Chicago Cubs) by a score of 10-2, dropping their third straight contest in the series.
Augusta (26-28) lost their sixth straight game, extending their longest losing streak of the season, while Myrtle Beach (31-22) won their seventh contest in a row to remain at the top of the Carolina League South.
Myrtle Beach entered the game as the hottest team in all of baseball, having won 12 of their last 14 games to take over first place in the league. The Pelicans wasted no time in jumping out in front, with Felix Stevens homering for the third straight game in the top of the second. The visitors added two more in the third, with Moises Ballesteros and Stevens contributing RBI singles.
The GreenJackets were able to load the bases with two outs in the fourth inning, but could not bring a runner across the plate. Augusta also hit into two more double plays, bringing the Jackets to 14 twin-killings in the last seven games, more than double the next closest team in the league. The bad luck continued, as the GreenJackets hit two flyouts at over 100 miles per hour that resulted in outs rather than extra base hits.
Nolan Martinez entered in the sixth inning and retired the side on five pitches in the sixth, but did not find the same result in the remainder of his outing, surrendering four runs in the seventh and three more in the ninth. Parker Chavers drove home five of those seven runs with a triple and a homer. The GreenJackets made their way onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth with a pair of runs, but it was too little, too late. Cory Acton finished the game with three hits, the most of his professional career.
The GreenJackets are home this week and next, taking on Myrtle Beach (Chicago Cubs) for three more games and then playing six against Carolina (Milwaukee Brewers). This week’s promotions include a Vaughn Grissom bobblehead giveaway Friday and a COPA game on Saturday. For tickets, information on the meet and greet and a full promotional schedule for the upcoming series with Myrtle Beach, click here: https://www.milb.com/augusta/fans/gj-homestand-preview.
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