Charleston, SC - The Charleston RiverDogs enjoyed their return to Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park on Tuesday night, blanking the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers in a 1-0 shutout win. The victory represented an impressive bounce back from being swept over the weekend in Fayetteville. The RiverDogs became the second team in the Carolina League to reach double digit shutouts this season. 3,064 fans were in attendance for the series opener.
Gary Gill Hill worked the bulk of the contest, striking out seven over 6.0 scoreless innings. He allowed only two hits and did not walk a batter. Luis Hernandez earned the win as the first man out of the bullpen, tossing 2.0 perfect innings in relief of Gill Hill. Finally, Alexander Alberto put the finishing touches on his first save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. The RiverDogs (15-9, 42-47) now trail Kannapolis by one shutout at the top of the circuit.
The RiverDogs also struggled at the plate, going without a run for the first six innings. Ricardo Brizuela tossed 5.0 scoreless innings as the starter, allowing just two hits. The game remained scoreless when the seventh inning began with reliever Luke Bell on the hill for Kannapolis (12-13, 53-38). Jhon Diaz opened that frame with a solo home run that cleared the right field wall to bring in the only run of the game. The long ball was Diaz’s third in the last three games.
Adrian Santana was the only player for either team with multiple hits. The shortstop went 2-4 in the contest, raising his July batting average to .292.
Ballpark Fun
The RiverDogs played their first game at home following the all-star break on Tuesday. Dogs were spotted all over the ballpark on the team’s weekly Dog Day presented by Twisted Tea. Especially prevalent were the night’s features breed, the border collie.
The series will continue Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. RHP Garrett Edwards will make his full-season debut as the opener on the mound for Charleston. Kannapolis will come back with RHP Jake Bockenstedt (3-7, 3.88) for game two. It’s Swampy Joe Night at the ballpark with a ogreish theme at The Joe.
The RiverDogs continue their hunt for a fourth-consecutive Carolina League championship in 2024. The full schedule of games is available here.
Charleston 1, Kannapolis 0
July 23, 2024
Click here for the box score
Kannapolis (R-H-E): 0-2-0
Charleston (R-H-E): 1-5-0
Win: Hernandez (3-0)
Loss: Bell (2-1)
Save: Alberto (1)
HR: Kannapolis: None
HR: Charleston: Jhon Diaz (5, 7th inning, 0 on base)
