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Charleston RiverDogs

RiverDogs Feast On Crawdads, 9-6

June 1, 2008 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release


Charleston batted around and scored four runs in the eighth inning to come from behind and defeat the Hickory Crawdads, 9-6, to complete a four-game series sweep in South Atlantic League action Sunday afternoon in front of 3,954 fans at sizzling hot Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park, where temperatures reached 95 degrees early in the contest.

With the series sweep, the RiverDogs improve to 8-0 against Hickory this season and 37-19 overall. Charleston has outscored the Crawdads 46-18 in those eight contests, including 18-7 the past four nights. The RiverDogs have now won five straight overall and nine of their last 12.

The Pirates affiliate Hickory drops its fifth consecutive decision overall and falls to 27-30 on the season.

First-place Asheville won its eighth straight this afternoon, a 7-4 victory at Rome, so Charleston remains 2.5 games behind the Tourists in the first-half standings with 14 remaining. The RiverDogs' final 14 contests will all be played against either Rome (8) or Savannah (6).

A relatively quiet afternoon at Riley Park turned into a wild affair in the latter innings, as the lead changed hands four times during the final three frames with Charleston getting the last laugh with its huge eighth-inning rally.

With Charleston trailing 6-5, the first three RiverDogs to bat in the eighth walked on a total of 12 pitches against Hickory reliever Michael Felix (3-2), who was very wild in his one plus inning of work. Felix was then yanked in favor of closer Tom Boleska.

Pinch-hitter Braedyn Pruitt greeted Boleska with a one-hop ground ball to shortstop Jose De Los Santos, who booted the ball for an error to score the tying run and keep the bases loaded. The next batter Austin Krum lined a clean RBI single to center to hand the RiverDogs a 7-6 lead.

After a pair of strikeouts kept the bases loaded with two away, Jesus Montero delivered some insurance with a two-run single to center off of Boleska, plating Dave Williams and Pruitt to make the score 9-6.

Charleston closer Jonathan Ortiz (1-1), who had blown only his third save of the season in the top of the eighth on a Keanon Simon two-out, two-run triple, worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning to finish the victory.

Charleston led 3-1 after six innings, scoring three runs (only one earned) against Hickory starter Bradley Clapp. Williams started the scoring with an RBI triple in the second, and another De Los Santos error plated a run in the third. Carmen Angelini's two-out RBI hit in the sixth gave the RiverDogs a two-run cushion for the first time in the game.

But Hickory, which had scored only two runs in the entire series entering the seventh inning, rallied for three runs to take the lead. Matt Cavagnaro's two-run single against reliever Ryan Zink tied the score, while Tom Hagan's sacrifice fly to center gave the Crawdads their first lead of the series at 4-3.

The RiverDogs came right back against Felix for two runs in the bottom of the seventh, each scoring from third base on a wild pitch with Bradley Suttle at bat and one out, leaving the home team ahead 5-4 entering the eighth.

After Charleston's Chace Vacek retired the first two he faced in the top of the eighth, Marcus Davis singled and Ronald Pena walked to put two on base. Then after RiverDogs manager Torre Tyson put in closer Ortiz, Simon lined his two-run triple to right to hand the Crawdads a 6-5 advantage.

RiverDogs' starter Lance Pendleton pitched six more solid innings, but saw his consecutive scoreless innings streak end at 29 when Hickory plated a run in the top of the third on Miles Durham's RBI double. The Kingwood, Tex. Native surrendered three runs on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts in the no-decision.

Ortiz picked up his first South Atlantic League victory in 1.1 innings of relief, which included a punchout of Durham to end the game.

Angelini led the RvierDogs offense by going 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Montero and Justin Snyder added two hits each to pace the RiverDogs 11-hit attack..

Charleston's pitching staff dominated the series, holding the Crawdads to only seven runs total in the four contests. Hickory did not score a run for 26 consecutive innings in the series between the fourth inning on Thursday night and the third frame on Sunday, when the Crawdads finally plated a run against Pendleton.

The RiverDogs next welcome the rival Rome Braves to town for a four-game series, with game one beginning at 7:05 pm Monday night. Right-hander Jairo Heredia (2-0, 3.04 ERA) is expected to get the ball for Charleston manager Torre Tyson. Rome is slated to counter with southpaw Jose Ortegano (2-4, 4.33). The RiverDogs are 7-1 against the Braves this season.

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