Noah Adcock-Howeth, Augusta GreenJackets
KINSTON, N.C. – An early bout of offensive success quickly turned into a quiet evening as the GreenJackets were held hitless in the final six frames, giving Down East ample time for a Wood Ducks come-from-behind victory.
The offense came out battling, extending a series of long counts against starter Josh Trentadue to run his pitch count high enough to have him chased in the second inning. After a 1-2-3 first, Trentadue allowed back to back walks to start the inning, followed by a fielder’s choice and passed ball that put the GreenJackets on the board. After a Mason Guerra K, Austin Machado ran up a seven pitch at bat that culminated in an RBI single, and Trentadue’s departure due to a high total.
Augusta would strike once again in the third, the first full inning of relief for Kai Wynyard. Luis Guanipa hammered a single on the first pitch of the frame, and went to third by tagging on a pop up and moving on a passed ball. With two down, Titus Dumitru lashed a two-strike fastball off the wall in right, scoring Guanipa on a double and giving Augusta a 3-0 lead.
Didier Fuentes returned off the Injured List having spent four weeks out with a lingering blister issue, and made the most of his return. Fuentes allowed just one hit and struck out four in three innings, putting a bow on a phenomenal year for the 19-year-old that saw him lead the GreenJackets in strikeouts.
Both sides went dormant in the middle innings, as Wynyard settled in nicely en route to the longest outing of his pro career. The Australian-born righty tossed five frames, with Dumitru’s double the only blemish. On the opposite side, Juan Sanchez allowed just a hit and a walk in relief of Fuentes, keeping the score nestled at 3-0 after six.
Down East came alive in the bottom of the seventh, taking advantage of inconsistencies from Hayder Ortiz. Ortiz began with a walk and hit by pitch, then loaded the bases on a single to left. Keith Jones dribbled a squibber past the mound, and everyone would reach to put Down East on the board. Ortiz got an out on a pop up, but found trouble off the bat of Jose De Jesus, who cracked a hard ground ball to first that was misplayed by Will Verdung, scoring two on a game-tying error.
Neither side would score in the eighth or ninth as Jacob Gomez and Alberto Mota traded zeroes, and Augusta went hitless through the top of the 10th despite beginning with an automatic runner at second. Albert Rivas was summoned for the bottom half, and after a groundout moved the automatic runner to third, Echedry Vargas blooped a soft line drive over the infield to score Chandler Pollard and send the Wood Ducks home happy.
On Thursday, Rayven Antonio takes the ball for the GreenJackets as Augusta tries to snap an eight-game skid against Down East over the course of the 2024 season. The Wood Ducks counter with Kyle Larsen, who has had command issues at times this year but allowed just one run in a no-decision when he started at SRP Park in August. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and live radio coverage is available at greenjacketsbaseball.com.
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