(Story courtesy the Augusta GreenJackets)
NORTH AUGUSTA – In their second and final home education day of the season, the GreenJackets showed grogginess early in the ballgame that the offense couldn’t shake as they fell 5-0 to the Salem Red Sox Tuesday morning at SRP Park.
The loss marked the first time Augusta has lost a series opener at home this season. It’s also just the second shutout loss of the year, with the other coming on April 23 in Columbia, which was coincidentally also an Education Day and an 11:05 a.m. start.
The GreenJackets made a late audible with their starting pitcher, flipping from Didier Fuentes to Adam Shoemaker in the final minutes before first pitch due to an unclear forecast and worries about burning Fuentes early if there was a delay. Shoemaker, making his first start of 2024, struggled with command early, walking five batters in two-plus innings.
The Red Sox struck twice in the first against Shoemaker, using two early walks to threaten, and bringing home a pair on an RBI single from Nelly Taylor Jr. Salem threatened again in the third, loading the bases with no outs thanks to a single and two walks that drove Shoemaker from the game. Reliever LJ McDonough was summoned and nearly twisted out of the jam thanks to a popup and ground ball, but Diego Benitez made an errant throw while attempting to turn the double play, allowing two runs to come across and double the lead.
The GreenJacket offense found itself unable to solve starter Luis Cohen, who scattered three hits and a walk in five scoreless innings. He was subsequently supplanted by Michael Sansone, and the lefty proved even more dangerous. Sansone used a floating changeup and sharp slider to strike out seven batters and allow just one hit, finishing the final four frames for his first save as a member of the Red Sox.
The final score overshadowed a sublime relief appearance from Fuentes, who upon finally getting his chance to throw, navigated the game’s last five innings with aplomb, mixing speeds and inducing weak contact. His only blemish came in the ninth inning, when center fielder Miguel Bleis launched a rising line drive that just crept over the left field wall for a solo home run to put the icing on the cake in Salem’s series-opening victory.
Augusta falls to 15-18 on the year and 6-9 at home, dropping the first of what will be six straight contests hosting Salem. The Red Sox will send JoJo Ingrassia to the hill for Wednesday’s 7:05 p.m. start, while Augusta’s starter is still to be determined. The GreenJackets are in the midst of a season-long 12 game homestand, as the Cannon Ballers come to town last week once the Red Sox depart.
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