By: RiverDogs Media
The Charleston RiverDogs earned their 11th win in the last 12 games, doubling up the Augusta GreenJackets 6-3 on Tuesday night at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. Eight of the nine players in the RiverDogs lineup tallied at least one hit in a balanced offensive attack. The game was played in front of a crowd of 5,431.
The GreenJackets (11-14, 42-48) enjoyed an impressive start to the night, taking a 1-0 lead two pitches into the contest. Ambioris Tavarez deposited a 1-0 pitch from Alex Ayala Jr. over the left field wall for his sixth home run of the season in the first at-bat of the game.
It didn't take long for the RiverDogs (17-8, 44-47) to answer in a similar fashion. Cooper Kinney worked a one-out walk from Luis Vargas in the bottom of the first frame. Xavier Isaac followed with a line drive home run that cleared the right field wall for his team-leading 11th home run of the campaign. With that swing, the home team grabbed a 2-1 advantage and never looked back.
The lead grew to 4-1 in the fourth. Ryan Spikes opened that inning with a line drive single to center and advanced to second on Jhon Diaz's sacrifice bunt. A single from Raudelis Martinez left runners on the corners with one away. Cristopher Barete laid down a perfect bunt in a safety squeeze situation, resulting in a base hit and an RBI as the ball rolled fair all the way down the third base line. Later in the inning, a wild pitch from Vargas added another run.
An RBI double from Cory Acton in the Augusta sixth pulled them within two very briefly. That score was short-lived, with Estanli Castillo bouncing a two-run single off the glove of Tavarez at short to widen the gap to 6-2. The final run of the night came via Nick Clarno's solo home run in the Augusta seventh.
Ayala earned his first win of the season, allowing only the leadoff home run over 5.0 innings. He surrendered just one additional hit and struck out four. Cade Halemanu followed out of the bullpen, tossing 3.0 innings with two runs allowed. Matt Wyatt collected his second save of the season by retiring the side in order in the ninth.
Kinney, Barete and Castillo each provided two hits for the RiverDogs, who collected 11 as a team. Martinez stretched his hitting streak to seven games, encompassing his entire time on the team's roster. Augusta was limited to just four hits, two of them home runs.
Ballpark Fun
The RiverDogs played in front of a big Tuesday night crowd thanks in part to an Aaron Judge bobblehead giveaway. One of the most recognizable players in RiverDogs history, Judge played with the team during the 2014 season. He hit nine home runs during his time in the Holy City.
The RiverDogs will aim to extend their winning streak to six games on Wednesday night with another 7:05 p.m. meeting against the GreenJackets. RHP Trevor Martin (6-4, 3.30) will start the game for the RiverDogs with RHP Jhancarlos Lara (2-5, 4.86) lined up for Augusta. Wine, Women and Baseball Night will feature a wine glass giveaway to the first 250 women through the gates.
RiverDogs season tickets, flexible ticket plans, and group tickets, including options to the Segra Club at Riley Park, are available at riverdogs.com/tickets or by contacting the RiverDogs front office at 843-577-3647 (DOGS).
Charleston 6, Augusta 3
Click here for the box score
Win: Ayala (1-4)
Loss: Vargas (1-1)
HR: Augusta: Ambioris Tavarez (6, 1st inning, 0 on base), Nick Clarno (4, 7th inning, 0 on base)
