Fayetteville, N.C. – The Charleston RiverDogs blasted four homers as they surged past the Fayetteville Woodpeckers 7-4 for their third consecutive victory at Segra Stadium on Thursday night.
Rays No. 4 prospect Daniel Pierce had a stellar night at the plate, finishing 3-for-5 with two homers and four runs batted in. He became the youngest Rays player (19 years old) with a multi-homer game at any level since Junior Caminero in 2022.
Brendan Summerhill led off the game emphatically by blasting a mammoth solo homer to right that pushed Charleston ahead 1-0 in the top of the first. The homer marked the first of his professional career.
Two hitters later, Cooper Flemming belted a solo shot to right of his own, also marking the first of his career to give the RiverDogs a 2-0 lead.
Still leading by two in the top of the third, Pierce stepped to the plate and demolished a solo shot to left to push Charleston ahead by three runs. In the process, he became the third RiverDog on Thursday night to round to bases for the first time as a pro.
After Fayetteville pushed across a run in the bottom of the third, Charleston added one back in the top of the fifth when Pierce lined an RBI single to center to make it 4-1.
Starter Dominic Fritton was stout, completing four innings of one-run ball, while striking out a season-high six hitters.
Fayetteville rallied for two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh, ultimately cutting the RiverDogs’ lead to 5-4.
In the top of the ninth, Pierce punctuated his big night by lining a two-run shot down the left field line to cap scoring at 7-4.
Mason Nichols slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth with a 1-2-3 inning, earning his first save of the season.
With the win, Charleston moved to 3-3 while Fayetteville fell to 1-5. The two return to Segra Stadium tomorrow night 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.