Five-Run Eighth Drives GreenJackets Win
Published on April 26, 2012 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Augusta GreenJackets News Release
Augusta, GA - The Augusta GreenJackets scored five big runs in the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie and earn a 7-2 win over the Kannapolis Intimidators on the season's first Thirsty Thursday at Lake Olmstead Stadium.
Jose Cuevas singled to open the eighth inning of a tie ballgame. Ben Thomas followed with a single and when the throw from the outfield was late in trying to retire Cuevas at third, Thomas broke for second. Rangel Ravelo's throw to second base went into right field to score Cuevas with the go-ahead run and put Augusta into the lead for the first time since the second inning. Later in the frame, with two men on, Elliott Blair connected with a three-run home run - his first of the year - to boost the advantage to four runs. On the very next pitch, Joe Staley's solo shot gave the GreenJackets a 7-2 lead on their first back-to-back home runs of the season.
Steven Neff struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning to seal the win and complete five near-flawless frames from the Augusta bullpen. Derek Law, Adalberto Mejia and Neff retired 15 of the 16 hitters they faced in five scoreless, hitless innings of relief with four strikeouts. Mejia (2-3) earned the win after firing a perfect eighth inning.
The GreenJackets took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning on Staley's sacrifice fly, but it was short-lived as Kannapolis took the lead in the third on Mark Haddow's two-run triple to go up 2-1. The offense stopped through the middle innings as Augusta picked up seven of their ten hits in the seventh and eighth innings and the Intimidators got their last hit of the night in the fourth.
Clayton Blackburn fired four effective, but inefficient innings - using a lot of pitches in his outing. He allowed two runs - both unearned - on four hits and three walks while equaling a career-high with seven strikeouts. Kannapolis starter Kevin Vance was sharp in six innings, allowing just an unearned run on three hits, but also didn't factor into the decision. Jarrett Casey (2-1) allowed all five eighth-inning runs on four hits and was tagged with the loss.
The GreenJackets look to take their first series win of the year in a four-game set in the series finale on Friday. Chris Marlowe (1-0, 3.38) gets the ball for the GreenJackets against Kannapolis lefty Brandon Parrent (0-1, 9.26). First pitch comes at 7:05 p.m. with radio pregame coverage beginning at 6:50 p.m. on ESPN Radio 1340 AM and online at www.greenjacketsbaseball.com.
Single-game tickets for any GreenJackets home game are currently available by calling the GreenJackets front office at 706-922-WINS and online at www.greenjacketsbaseball.com.
South Atlantic League Stories from April 26, 2012
- Lexington Snaps RiverDogs' Ten Game Win Streak - Charleston RiverDogs
- Claws Crumble in 9th with 4-3 Loss - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Claws Crumble in 9th with 4-3 Loss - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Drive Can't Dig Themselves Out of Early Hole, Lose 5-1 - Greenville Drive
- Crawdads Hop by Greensboro with 5-4 Win - Hickory Crawdads
- Legends Rally for Five in Sixth, Defeat Charleston 5-2 - Lexington Legends
- Dalfonso Return Sparks Braves Offense as Braves Win 6-2 - Rome Emperors
- Suns Come up Short in 6-2 Loss in Rome - Hagerstown Suns
- Five-Run Eighth Drives GreenJackets Win - Augusta GreenJackets
- Big Second Enough for Power - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Bridwell, Cowan Three-Hit Drive in 5-1 Win - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Power Game Notes - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Shorebirds Game Notes vs. Greenville - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Dalfonso Return to Rome - Rome Emperors
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
