Charleston clips Savannah in season finale, 7-6
September 7, 2009 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release
CHARLESTON, SC - Charleston's Tommy Baldridge lined a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to propel the RiverDogs to a 7-6 come-from-behind win over the Savannah Sand Gnats in front of 4,379 fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park Monday night to close out the 2009 season.
In 67 openings this season, the RiverDogs saw a grand total of 268,985 fans click through the turnstiles for an average of 4,015 fans per outing. That total marks the third-largest attendance figure in the 13-year history of Riley Park.
With the victory, Charleston notches its third walkoff win of the series and concludes the season with a 74-65 record, including a 35-34 mark in the second half while Savannah fell to 65-72 on the season and 30-37 in the second half. Charleston's triumph clinched a winning half for the 14th straight half since the 2003 season.
With the game knotted at 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth, Addison Maruszak singled with one out against reliever John Church (1-4) and Garrison Lassiter moved him to third on a single. Neall French fanned for the second out, and Baldridge lined a 1-1 pitch off Samuel Martinez for the game-winner.
Savannah scored twice in the second for a 2-0 lead against starter Wilton Rodriguez on a two-run single by Evan LeBlanc.
The Sand Gnats made it 4-0 in the fourth on a two-out, two-run double by Jeff Flagg.
Charleston scored for the first time in the bottom half cutting the deficit to 4-2 against reliever Phillips Orta on Jose Pirela's two-run single, but the RiverDogs would leave the bases loaded.
In the fifth, Savannah received an RBI single from Juan Lagares to make the score 5-2, while Nick Giarraputo stroked an RBI double in the sixth off reliever Paul Patterson to increase the lead to 6-2. Patterson worked 2.2 innings for Charleston allowing a run on four hits with three strikeouts.
Rodriguez lasted just 4.1 innings for the RiverDogs in a no-decision and surrendered five runs - four earned - on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
The RiverDogs cut the deficit to 6-5 with three sixth inning runs. French walked to lead off, Baldridge singled, and so too did Jeff Farnham, who had his at-bat extended on a dropped foul pop-up by catcher Kai Gronauer. Pirela's second run-scoring single brought home French, then Ray Kruml and Taylor Grote followed with RBI groundouts to complete the rally.
Maruszak led off the seventh inning by greeting newly-inserted reliever Church with a solo home run, just his second of the season, to tie the game at 6-6.
Dickson Marquez (1-0) picked up his first SAL victory by tossing two hitless innings with a pair of strikeouts.
Savannah starter Eric Beaulac lasted just one inning before being yanked for Orta, who allowed two runs in three innings. Marcos Tabata permitted three more runs in two innings, while Church absorbed the loss in a 2.1 inning outing giving up a pair of runs on four hits.
This is the second time in as many season finales that Charleston has won in walkoff fashion, last time coming in 2007 in a 6-5, 11-inning triumph over Rome.
Charleston's 13-hit attack was paced by Maruszak's four knocks and three each from Baldridge and Pirela, while Savannah had two hits apiece from Lagares, Giarraputo and Gronauer.
South Atlantic League Stories from September 7, 2009
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