NORTH AUGUSTA -: Luis Arestigueta began his second stint with the GreenJackets in fine fashion Tuesday night, allowing just one run in 3.2 innings of relief as Augusta (11-5, 46-36) rolled past the Hickory Crawdads (12-4, 46-34) Tuesday night at SRP Park.
The game was defined by its relievers, as neither side’s starter made it past the third before being lifted. Kendy Richard worked 2.2 frames with just one run, but three walks and three hits stretched his pitch count up and forced him to give away to Arestigueta in the third. Hickory’s Aneudis Mejia was thrust into a starting role after Alejandro Chiquillo was scratched right before game time, and Mejia allowed a two-run moonshot to Michael Martinez as he took the loss in two innings.
Augusta did well to add on in the middle innings, using two more two-run frames to stretch the lead to a more secure total. Junior Garcia clubbed a two-run double in the fourth against Frank Martinez, and Cooper McMurray broke out of an 0-18 stretch with a two-RBI homer over the TaxSlayer Terrace against southpaw Geury Rodriguez in the sixth.
Hickory did well to threaten late, loading the bases in the 8th thanks to three walks from Carter Lovasz to bring the tying run to the plate. But Styven Paez entered in relief and survived the turbulence, allowing just one of three inherited runners to score. Paez himself created stress in the ninth as he loaded the bases again with two outs, but a pop up from Marcos Torres ended the game and stranded the tying run at first base.
The Jackets have now won 12 of 14 Tuesday games this year, and are undefeated at home in series openers. Augusta sends Carter Holton to the mound Wednesday as the lefty returns to the rotation after earning his first pro win last week in relief of AJ Smith-Shawver. The Crawdads counter with Moises Morales, who has given up just one run in his last four games played.
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