Green Fans Career-High, RiverDogs Swat

GreenJackets in Opener

Eight RiverDogs all collect hits as offense continues torrid pace to start season

 

AUGUSTA, GA– Following a night in which they were shutout, Charleston got right back into their offensive groove on their second stop of a road trip. Eight RiverDogs collected hits and starter Nick Green racked up eight punch outs as Charleston cruised to a 7-2 victory over the Augusta GreenJackets to start a three-game series on Monday night at Lake Olmstead Stadium.

After falling behind 1-0 after the first, catcher Donny Sands pulled Charleston (8-4) even with an RBI knock to right field that scored center fielder Blake Rutherford who led off the second with a walk.

 The RiverDogs took their first lead of the game in the fourth by adding a pair. Charleston’s first three hitters all cracked doubles starting with Rutherford who hammered a line drive to right field before swiping third and scoring on a wild pitch to make it 2-1 RiverDogs. Donny Sands hit a flair shot to right that fell in for a hit, but was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple. Brandon Wagner lined one to the left-center gap before coming around to score on a passed ball by Augusta (3-9) catcher Will Albertson.

The RiverDogs made it 4-1 in the fifth when Diego Castillo grounded out to third to score Hoy Jun Park for an RBI. The RiverDogs shortstop led off with a single before being brought home by Castillo who was the only RiverDog without a hit, but found a way to contribute.

 

Augusta added a single tally in the fifth, but Charleston broke the ballgame wide open in the eighth, adding three runs on four straight one out hits to stretch their advantage to 7-2. After Wagner and Oswaldo Cabrera singled, Isiah Gilliam mashed a double down the left field line to plate two. Carlos Vidal drove in another with a base hit to left.

 

Green (W, 1-2, 5.56 ERA) was at times erratic, but had his strikeout stuff going. The Fountain, Colo. native’s eight strikeouts was a career-high as he pitched around five walks, also a career-high, in his five innings of work. The right-hander pleaded his case to stay on with the bases loaded in the fifth, and after yielding a run on a wild pitch, struck out left fielder Ryan Kirby to set himself up for his first win of the season. He yielded two runs, one earned, on just two hits.

 

Stephen Woods, Jr. took the loss in his second start of the season, both against the RiverDogs, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with a pair of punch outs.

 

Kolton Mahoney and Anyelo Gomez combined to work four scoreless innings out of the bullpen as Gomez tallied his second save of the season.

 

Upcoming

The RiverDogs continue the continue the series with the GreenJackets in game two tomorrow night. Charleston will send RHP Albert Abreu (1-0, 0.93) in game one to face LHP Domenic Mazza (0-2, 10.80). The first pitch is set for 7:05pm on Tuesday night. The RiverDogs return home for a four-game series against Asheville from April 20-23 at The Joe.

 

RiverDogs tickets, including options for the all-new Riley Park Club, are now available and can be secured by contacting the box office at (843) 577-DOGS (3647) or online at www.riverdogs.com. Those that can’t make it to the park can follow every pitch of the RiverDogs season on WTMA 1250 AM in the tri-county area or by streaming online at riverdogs.com and the TuneIn Radio App by searching “RiverDogs.”