RiverDogs pitchers carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, eventually holding Hickory to just one run in a 6-1 victory on Thursday night at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. The win sent 5,506 fans home happy.
Charleston starter and Rays No. 11 prospect Trevor Harrison had a strong performance throughout 4.2 innings. He walked five batters but kept the Crawdads quiet by also striking out five.
After a hitless first two frames for the RiverDogs, Jose Monzon blasted a two-run home run to right field that just escaped the right field wall, putting the RiverDogs up 2-0 in the third.
In the fourth inning, Woo Shin singled to right to score another Charleston run, cracking his bat in the process. JD Gonzalez also drove in a run on a ground out to stretch the RiverDogs advantage to four.
After Harrison’s exit with two outs and two on in the fifth, Andy Rodriguez delivered 2.1 innings of one-run ball, allowing Hickory’s lone run in the bottom of the seventh on Hector Osorio’s RBI single. Rodriguez ended his night by stranding two runners in scoring position and later earned the win.
Insurance runs in the eighth inning driven in on a fielder's choice by Angel Mateo and a sacrifice fly from Ricardo Gonzalez put the game out of reach for the Crawdads.
With the RiverDogs leading 6-1, Alexander Alberto closed the contest in the ninth, working around a double and hit by pitch to record a scoreless frame.
Ballpark Fun: Today marked the first Thirsty Thursday of the season, and the home crowd was energized to drink their one-dollar beers. A cup-snake in the third base grandstand grew larger and larger throughout the game, eventually growing to the length of a whole section. A “chicken jockey” moment in the middle innings grabbed the attention of the fans familiar with the viral Minecraft Movie meme. A game of knocker-balls ended with a fan losing both shoes after a furious collision.
The RiverDogs will seek back-to-back wins tomorrow night, with first pitch set for 7:05pm. Postgame fireworks presented by REV Federal Credit Union will follow the contest. Tickets are available now at RiverDogs.com.