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SAL1 Charleston RiverDogs

RiverDogs Encrust Catfish, 7-4

April 28, 2007 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release


Left fielder Brian Aragon went 4-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in to lead the Charleston RiverDogs to a 7-4 victory over the Columbus Catfish in South Atlantic League action Saturday night in front of 4,359 fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

With the victory, the RiverDogs improve to 15-8 while the Catfish drop to 13-10. Charleston has won two of the first three games in the series, and now has taken nine of its last ten overall.

Aragon's four hits - the fourth time this season a RiverDog has collected four hits - represented a third of his club's 12 knocks on the night. The 22nd round draft pick last June out of North Carolina State had entered the game batting only .184 (7-38).

For the first time in three games against the Catfish, the RiverDogs were the first to score as they tagged Columbus starter Woods Fines (1-2) with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the first inning. Charleston is now 13-2 in games in which they score first.

The RiverDogs added two more runs in the second inning to extend their early lead to 4-0 when Seth Fortenberry and Chris Malec each singled home one run with two outs.

Columbus cut the lead to 4-1 in the fourth on a RBI single to right center by Joey Callender, but Charleston came right back to score one run in the bottom of the fourth on Fortenberry's second RBI single of the night.

The Catfish trimmed the lead to 5-3 in the fifth against RiverDogs starter Grant Duff (3-2). Desmond Jennings opened the stanza with a solo homer to left and Ryan Royster plated Cesar Suarez with a RBI single to left.

Aragon's last hit was a two-out, two-run double in the seventh inning to give Charleston a 7-3 lead against Columbus reliever Chris Kelly.

Columbus closed the gap to 7-4 on a RBI groundout by Brett Grandstrand in the eighth against Charleston reliever John Axford, who allowed one run on two hits in 2.2 innings of work in his RiverDogs debut.

Duff went 5.0 innings and secured the win, as he scattered eight hits, struck out three and walked a pair. Gabe Medina pitched the final 1.1 innings to earn his first save.

Fines, who entered the game tenth in the SAL in earned run average, lasted 3.2 frames and allowed five runs on seven hits. He walked five RiverDogs and fanned one.

All of the Catfish's runs were earned, which gives Charleston pitchers a total of only 12 earned runs in their last 86 innings pitched.

The Catfish had 10 hits on the night, with Jennings, Royster and Matt Fields each collecting two.

Charleston's Mitch Hilligoss, batting leadoff, extended his team-high 10-game hitting streak with a single up the middle to open the game.

The final game of this four-game series is set for Sunday afternoon with Charleston sending southpaw Mike Dunn (3-0, 1.59 ERA) to the hill while Columbus counters with right-hander Josh Butler (1-0, 2.05 ERA). First pitch is slated for 4:05 p.m. or 30 minutes after The Citadel - College of Charleston game, which begins at 1 p.m.

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