Gastonia Ghost Peppers Take Down Dirty Birds 4-1 Behind Strong Pitching
AtL Charleston Dirty Birds

Gastonia Ghost Peppers Take Down Dirty Birds 4-1 Behind Strong Pitching

Published on August 29, 2025 under Atlantic League (AtL)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


CHARLESTON, WV - The Gastonia Ghost Peppers used timely hitting and stellar pitching to notch a 4-1 road win over the Charleston Dirty Birds on Friday night at GoMart Ballpark.

Gastonia's offense broke through in the fifth inning when Eric De La Rosa launched his 17th home run of the season, a solo shot that tied the game at 1-1 after Charleston's Joseph Rosa had gone deep in the fourth. The Ghost Peppers then capitalized in the seventh inning from Charleston, scoring three runs on just one hit, highlighted by a two-run single from Narciso Crook and a sacrifice fly by Dalton Guthrie.

That was more than enough support for the Gastonia pitching staff. Starter Ljay Newsome worked five innings, allowing one run on six hits while striking out six. The bullpen was lights-out, combining for four scoreless innings with Thomas King (1 IP) earning the win, Cory Thompson collecting his third save, and relievers Ryan Hennen and Kent Hasler bridging the gap.

Charleston starter Luis de Avila (4-2) was the tough-luck loser, pitching seven innings of three-hit ball but hurt by three Dirty Birds errors. Despite out-hitting Gastonia 8-3, Charleston stranded nine runners and couldn't solve the Ghost Peppers' bullpen.

Key Performers:

Gastonia: De La Rosa (HR, RBI), Crook (2 RBI), Guthrie (RBI), Newsome (5 IP, 6 K)

Charleston: Joseph Rosa (3-for-4, HR, RBI), James Nelson (3-for-5, 2 doubles)

The win improves Gastonia's record while Charleston drops the opener of the weekend series despite a strong night at the plate from Rosa and Nelson.

Check out the Charleston Dirty Birds Statistics

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Atlantic League Stories from August 29, 2025


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