Augusta Wins Home Opener
Published on April 20, 2022 under Carolina League (CarL)
Augusta GreenJackets News Release
North Augusta, SC: The Augusta GreenJackets began their home season with a come from behind win over the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, 8-6.
Fayetteville quieted the strong SRP Park crowd in the second inning with a four-run inning as Kenedy Corona drove in a pair with a two-run double, the next batter, Cody Orr added two more runs with a homerun to make it 4-0 Woodpeckers.
The score would remain 4-0 until the fourth inning when the Augusta offense broke through for five runs courtesy of an RBI single by Stephen Paolini, a bases-loaded walk to Mahki Backstrom, and a bases-clearing double by Caleb Durbin to cap it all off to put the GreenJackets ahead, 5-4.
The lead for Augusta didn't last long however as Tyler Whitaker re-established the lead for the Woodpeckers in the fifth with a two-run single to make it 6-5 Fayetteville.
The back-and-forth game continued on into the sixth as the GreenJackets tied the ball game with a two-out, RBI single by Brandol Mezquita to even the game at six apiece.
In the seventh, Augusta would take the lead for good with a bases-loaded walk to Geraldo Quintero making it 7-6 GreenJackets. And for good measure, Stephen Paolini brought home an insurance run with a single in the eighth.
Rob Griswold would finish the job for Augusta by getting the final six outs for the GreenJackets to secure the save and a victory in the home opener, 8-6.
Some of the highlights from Augusta's win in their SRP Park debut was Caleb Durbin who reached four times including his big swing in the fourth inning to give the GreenJackets their first lead. Stephen Paolini collected two RBIs for the second consecutive game as he also drove in a pair of runs in the series finale in Myrtle Beach on Sunday. Brandol Mezquita reached base four times with two walks and two singles with two runs scored in addition to his RBI in the sixth. The offense for Augusta walked a season-high 14 times, which helped spark their key rallies.
James Acuña earned the win for Augusta as he dealt two innings on the mound without allowing a run, setting the table for the GreenJackets to complete their comeback.
The reigning Carolina League Pitcher of the Week, Royber Salinas gets the ball in Game 2 for Augusta against Ernesto Jacquez for the Woodpeckers. First pitch of Wednesdays game is 7:05 p.m.
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