(Story courtesy Augusta GreenJackets)
NORTH AUGUSTA – The Salem RidgeYaks (6-7, 31-47) took the lead two batters into the game and never let go, picking up a wire-to-wire win on Friday night against the Augusta GreenJackets (9-4, 44-35) by a score of 7-4.
The RidgeYaks jumped on Landon Beidelschies right off the bat, as Starlyn Nunez hammered a single on the first pitch of the game. Two pitches later, Andrews Opata put the Yaks on top with a soaring two-run homer over the wall. Beidelschies would end the inning with no further damage, but Salem would not trail for the rest of the game.
The Yaks tacked on a couple more in the fourth thanks to a double from D’Angelo Ortiz, ending the day for Beidelschies. Augusta broke the ice in the bottom half, thanks to Alex Lodise’s league-leading 17th home run of the year, but pushed no more across against Christian Foutch. The former college teammate of Beidelschies turned in his longest and strongest outing as a pro, allowing just the one run in 4.2 strong innings while striking out a career-high eight.
Salem would put the game out of reach in the late goings, scoring three against Carter Lovasz between the sixth and eighth. Ortiz and Louis Andujar combined to add on late, and the duo ended the night 5-7 with two runs and five RBIs.
Michael Martinez socked a two-run homer in the seventh to give Augusta a chance, and Conor Essenburg scored on a Lodise sacrifice fly to bring the Jackets within three. Augusta did put the first two batters of the ninth on against Yermain Ruiz, bringing the tying run to the plate with no outs, but Ruiz put away three in a row on a series of chases to secure his first Single-A win and a second straight victory for the RidgeYaks.
America’s 250th birthday celebration is in full effect Saturday, as Independence Day at SRP Park brings forth excitement and festivity all night long. Davis Polo takes the ball for the GreenJackets to try to get back on the winning side, while Jason Gilman will look to push Salem’s win streak to three. First pitch is at 6:35, with gates opening at SRP Park at 5 p.m.
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