Behind dominant pitching and timely hitting, the Charleston RiverDogs opened their 12-game road trip with a 5-0 win over the Delmarva Shorebirds at Perdue Stadium on Tuesday night.
Starter Dominic Fritton was dominant, fanning eight hitters over six shutout innings. Over his past two starts, he has punched out 17 hitters across 11 innings of work. His 83 strikeouts are the most of any left hander in the Carolina League this season.
Jacob Hartlaub and Bryce Shaffer followed with three shutout innings in relief to slam the door on Charleston’s third shutout victory of the season.
The RiverDogs opened scoring in the top of the third when Alberth Palma lined an RBI single to left to make it 1-0. An inning later, Tom Poole tapped an infield single to short that brought home Cooper Flemming to double their lead to 2-0.
After tacking on one more in the top of the sixth, Charleston broke it open in the top of the seventh when Flemming and Brady Marget ripped back-to-back RBI doubles to cap scoring at 5-0.
With the win, the RiverDogs moved to 42-34 and 5-5 in the second half, while Delmarva fell to 27-49, and 4-6 in the second half. The two return to the diamond tomorrow for game two of the series with first pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. Coverage begins at 6:50 on the RiverDogs Broadcast Network.
Let Freedom Bark
After clinching the Carolina League South first half title, the RiverDogs have secured a spot in the 2026 postseason, presented by Nucor Steel Berkeley. The best-of-three Division Series begins on Tuesday, September 8. Thanks to their first-half division title, the RiverDogs are guaranteed to host Game 2, and, if necessary, Game 3, at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park on September 10 and 11.
Season Ticket Holders can renew their 2026 package for 2027, to receive complimentary tickets to all home postseason games. All other fans can purchase an exclusive package that includes a ticket to all home playoff games and a guaranteed t-shirt for a limited time. Tickets are available here.