The Charleston RiverDogs polished off their second six-game sweep of the season with a 6-2 win over the Fayetteville Woodpeckers on Sunday. A crowd of 4,235 attended the final game of the regular season at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. The RiverDogs hit the road next Tuesday needing just one more win to secure a fourth-consecutive trip to the postseason.
The RiverDogs (37-21, 64-59) took the lead in the second inning with help from a pair of errors by the shortstop Caden Powell. First, Connor Hujsak reached on a throwing error to begin the frame. The next two hitters grounded into a fielder’s choice as the Woodpeckers failed to turn two. The second groundball featured the second errant throw by Powell and allowed Jhon Diaz to advance to scoring position. Enderson Delgado took advantage by poking an RBI single into shallow right field to open the scoring.
Charleston’s first crooked number of the day was put on the board in the very next frame. J.D. Gonzalez led off with a double and Narciso Polanco followed with a walk. A bunt single by Adrian Santana loaded the bases with nobody out. Emilien Pitre made it 3-0 by rolling a two-run single back through the middle. A final run scored later in the frame as Delgado’s roller back to the mound was fumbled by Julio Marte.
The Dogs kept their foot on the gas and scored their final two runs in the fourth inning. That frame began with back-to-back walks by Gonzalez and Polanco. Adrian Santana’s chopper to third was fielded by Drew Vogel, who tried to start a double play but threw errantly into right field as another run scored. Connor Hujsak beat out a potential double play with the bases loaded later in the stanza to push the advantage to 6-0.
T.J. Nichols opened on the mound for the RiverDogs and was dominant in 3.0 scoreless and hitless innings. He struck out five. Lefty Jeremy Pilon followed with 4.0 quality innings to earn the win, while striking out seven. Fayetteville (23-35, 52-72) scored their only runs against him in the seventh. The inning began with a walk by Trevor Austin. Pilon rebounded to strike out the next two hitters, but Jason Schiavone hooked a double to the left field corner to put the Woodpeckers on the board. A throwing error by Carlos Colmenarez on a groundball in the next at-bat brought in a second run.
Andy Rodriguez finished the contest with 2.0 scoreless innings. He loaded the bases with two outs in the final inning before getting Drew Vogel to ground to first.
The RiverDogs outhit Fayetteville 6-4. No player in either lineup had multiple hits. The loss was the tenth straight for the Woodpeckers.
Ballpark Fun
The home portion of the regular season ended with Fan Appreciation Night on Sunday; a game always packed with fun. In an annual tradition, the RiverDogs announced the winner of the “Top Dog” award following the game. Starting pitcher Gary Gill Hill took home the honor for his stellar 2024 campaign that has him at the top of the Carolina League in both ERA and WHIP.
The final series of the regular season will get underway on Tuesday evening in Columbia with a doubleheader. At 5:00 p.m., the Palmetto State rivals will resume a suspended game from July with the RiverDogs trailing 2-0 in the top of the third. The clubs will follow that with a seven-inning contest to cap the night.
The RiverDogs continue their hunt for a fourth-consecutive Carolina League championship in 2024. The full schedule of games is available here.
Charleston 6, Fayetteville 2
September 1, 2024
Click here for the box score
Fayetteville (R-H-E): 2-4-4
Charleston (R-H-E): 6-6-1
Win: Pilon (1-0
Loss: Marte (2-6)
Save:
HR: Fayetteville: None
HR: Charleston: None
