(Story and photo courtesy Augusta GreenJackets)
NORTH AUGUSTA – :AJ Smith-Shawver worked four scoreless innings and ran his fastball up to 100 mph in a rehab start as the Augusta GreenJackets (10-5, 45-36) knocked off the Salem RidgeYaks (7-8, 32-48) 4-1 and secured a 3-3 series split on July 5.
After Smith-Shawver worked three scoreless innings in his season debut on Tuesday, he surpassed that mark tonight and looked even better in his follow-up. Smith-Shawver showcased improved velocity and sustained it deep into his outing, leaving the Salem hitters flummoxed as he mixed five pitches with ease. With two strong starts under his belt in Augusta, Smith-Shawver is likely destined to continue climbing the ranks of the organization as he prepares to return to Atlanta.
After being shut out last night, the GreenJacket offense did enough in the early goings to pick up their third win of the series. Augusta’s first runs of the night came in emphatic fashion, as Matt Scannell’s first hit with the team was a 411-foot moonshot into the Savannah River off of Trennor O’Donnell to put the Jackets in front.
Augusta would push across two more in the fourth against Jose Bello, more than enough to sustain a win despite being held scoreless in the back half of the ballgame. Augusta totaled three hits in Bello’s first inning of action, with RBI singles from Tanner Smith and Junior Garcia doubling the lead.
While Smith-Shawver dominated the headlines, the GreenJacket bullpen was equally impressive as they secured the final five innings. Kade Woods did not allow a hit in two frames, earning his first professional win in relief for Augusta. Lewis Sifontes followed Woods, and while he did allow Salem’s only run via a balk, Sifontes worked a season-high three frames and earned his second save of the series.
With six games in the books for this homestand, Augusta still has six more coming up next week. The Hickory Crawdads, who have the best record in Single-A for the second half of the year, come to town for the first time this year in a clash of two teams with playoff aspirations. First pitch of game one is at 7:05 on Tuesday, with a whole week of exciting baseball on tap at SRP Park.
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