Four members of the Rays’ 2025 draft class provided key contributions in their pro debuts as the RiverDogs downed Hickory 3-2 on Wednesday night in front of 2,359 fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.
The RiverDogs tie the series at one game apiece and move to 22-19 in the second half and 57-50 overall.
Right fielder Brendan Summerhill led the way with a 3-4 effort, while left fielder James Quinn-Irons picked up a single and a walk. Relievers Mason Nichols and Jacob Hartlaub both delivered scoreless innings out of the bullpen in their first pro innings.
The RiverDogs started the scoring in the bottom of the first.
Theo Gillen sparked the offense early, drawing a four-pitch walk and stealing second base to start the game. In his very first professional at-bat, Summerhill roped a 102 MPH RBI double into the left field corner to give Charleston a 1–0 lead. With runners on the corners, Narciso Polanco grounded out to drive in another run, extending the lead to 2–0.
Charleston kept rolling in the third inning.
Gillen singled to right, and after a Nathan Flewelling walk, Quinn-Irons notched his first pro hit, a slow roller down the third base line that loaded the bases. Polanco then grounded into a force out at second, scoring Gillen for his second RBI of the night that pushed the lead to 3-0.
Hickory began to claw back in the fifth.
Back-to-back singles opened the inning for Hickory. Josh Springer bounced a groundball to Jose Monzon, who threw it to Polanco at second base for the first out. Trying to turn a double play, Polanco bounced the ball to first baseman Larry Martinez for a error, allowing Pablo Guerrero to score and cut the deficit to 3-1.
RiverDogs starter Ryan Andrade prevented further damage, retiring the next batter to end the inning and his outing. The righty struck out four while allowing that one unearned run to earn his 10th win of the season – the first Single-A pitcher to reach double digits this season.
After a scoreless sixth from Nichols and seventh from Hartlaub, Hickory narrowed the lead to one run in the eighth. Following a leadoff double from Josh Springer, a single from Yeremy Cabrera and throwing error from Summerhill allowed him to score, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Jadon Bercovich held steady and picked off Cabrera to end the inning.
The Crawdads threatened again in the ninth with back-to-back singles, but Jonathan Russell induced a double play and fly out to lock down the save.
Ballpark Fun: Tonight’s Wildcard Wednesday promotion was Ladies Night, and the women showed up in style, ready to have a blast at The Joe. The ladies who brought a photo of their ex-partners and shredded it at the front gates were rewarded a free basket of fries. Happy hour, with no boys allowed, was held from 6-8 pm with half off drinks for the whole squad. A variety of trivia tailored for the ladies was answered to perfection by intelligent contestants from the crowd.
The series continues Thursday night at 7:05 pm. It’s Thirsty Thursday presented by Budweiser, with dollar beers throughout the park. Tickets are available at RiverDogs.com. For an upgraded experience, tickets to the inclusive, air-conditioned Segra Club are available.