Despite holding an eighth inning lead, the Charleston RiverDogs fell 4-3 to the Augusta GreenJackets in eleven innings on Friday night in front of 4,739 fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.
Blake Morgan delivered another quality start, completing six innings while limiting Augusta to two runs. In the process he fanned eight. He has now punched out 26 hitters across 19 innings in his last three starts.
Charleston took the lead first in the bottom of the first when Brady Marget sent a sacrifice fly to left that made it 1-0.
Augusta responded in the top of the third when Alex Lodise belted a two-run shot to left to make it 2-1. Lodise has homered in two consecutive games against Charleston.
The back-and-forth battle continued in the bottom of the first when Nicandro Aybar doubled home a run on a line drive to left-center.
Later in the frame, Brady Marget lined an RBI single to right that scored Aybar and pushed the RiverDogs ahead 3-2.
Both sides traded scoreless frames through the seventh, until Hayden Friese powered a solo shot to right to even the score at 3-3.
After both sides failed to bring home the automatic runner in the tenth, the GreenJackets pushed ahead in the eleventh. With one out, Lodise rolled a sharp single to right to bring home Conor Essenburg and give Augusta 4-3 advantage.
The RiverDogs went down quietly in the bottom of the frame, falling for the second time in extras this season.
With the loss, the RiverDogs fell to 40-32 and 3-3 in the second half, while Augusta moved to 40-32, and 5-1 in the second half. The two return to The Joe tomorrow for game four of the series with first pitch slated for 7:05 p.m. Coverage begins at 6:50 on the RiverDogs Broadcast Network.
Ballpark Fun:
The Joe went western for Cobblestone Clydesdales Night, celebrating Charleston's historic cobblestone streets, Budweiser’s 150th anniversary and America's 250th birthday. Fans were welcomed by horses outside the ballpark, where they could snap photos, pet the Clydesdales, and check out horse-drawn carriages that added to the night's atmosphere.
The patriotic celebration continued onto the field as riders carrying American flags circled the warning track, and one of the horses even delivered the ceremonial first pitch. With a packed crowd and plenty of Clydesdale-themed promotions throughout the evening, it was a memorable night that blended Lowcountry history, American pride, and baseball at The Joe.