(Story courtesy Noah Adcock-Howeth, Augusta GreenJackets)
NORTH AUGUSTA – A nightmarish first inning yielded nine runs for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, more than enough to carry the day in an 11-3 victory over Augusta Saturday night.
Making his third start of the year, Adam Shoemaker could not find his command, walking three and hitting two more in the first five batters. After two runs already came home without a ball put in play, Cesar Hernandez clubbed a two-RBI double off the fence and Chase Jaworsky spun an infield single that scored one more. Shoemaker would leave with just one out recorded, and ended up being charged with nine runs and the losing decision.
The GreenJacket offense faced a nearly insurmountable task before the leadoff man even stepped into the box, and it didn’t help matters that Jackson Nezuh, the Carolina League leader in strikeouts, was on the mound. With a gargantuan cushion to throw with, Nezuh was rock solid, firing five innings and allowing two runs while striking out eight for his seventh win of the year and third against the GreenJackets. Augusta’s two runs against the starter came via RBI singles from Kade Kern and Jacob Godman, as both continued their hot starts to July.
The GreenJackets received heroic efforts from two bullpen arms in Tyree Thompson and Rolando Gutierrez, who combined to record the final 26 outs of the game. Thompson was added to the roster yesterday from High-A Rome for one outing only and made the most of it, working a season-high 4.1 innings while allowing just one hit and zero runs. Gutierrez tossed the final four innings of the night, a season-high for him as well, and allowed two runs that only put the game further out of reach. The combined work of the two saved an already depleted bullpen from further thinning in advance of Sunday’s series finale.
Augusta’s offense would muster one more run on the day, putting men at the corners with nobody out against reliever Wilmy Sanchez. Kade Kern bounced into a 4-3 double play, which brought home the GreenJackets’ 3rd run of the game but also ended any thought of a big rally late in the game. The ‘Jackets would go down quietly in the final two frames, dampening a night that began full of optimism and hope as SRP Park hosted Military Appreciation Night and over 1,000 soldiers, military personnel, and their families at the game.
Sunday marks the series finale, and the final game before the All-Star Break puts a pause on games until Friday. The GreenJackets are likely to use a variety of arms in a bullpen day, while Fayetteville counters with Raimy Rodriguez. Augusta needs a win to split the series, while Fayetteville could take four of six for the second straight time against the GreenJackets. First pitch is at 5:05 p. m.
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