GreenJackets-Drive Split Twinbill
May 11, 2012 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Augusta GreenJackets News Release
Augusta, GA - In a doubleheader that saw a walkoff win in game one and a near-bench clearing brawl in the nightcap, the Augusta GreenJackets and Greenville Drive split a Friday night twinbill in front of 5,031 fans at Lake Olmstead Stadium. The GreenJackets earned a 2-1, extra-inning victory in the opener before falling 11-4 to the Drive in game two.
Both teams traded second inning runs in game one to tie the game at one, where it stayed until extra innings. Boss Moanaroa led off the second inning with a home run off Chris Marlowe to give Greenville a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Ben Thomas led off the frame with a double and scored on Brett Krill's two-out, RBI single to even things at one.
The GreenJackets had plenty of chances to take the lead after that, but stranded 12 men on the bases and left the bases loaded in two separate innings. Marlowe did just enough to keep the Drive at bay, firing six innings of one-run ball in his longest start of the season, striking out five and scattering five hits and two walks.
In the eighth inning - the first inning of extras - the GreenJackets put runners at second and third with no outs on Krill's leadoff single and John Eshleman's double. Carlos Willoughby hit a grounder to second and even though Krill was late to break for the plate, he scored the winning run when the throw home went wide to give the GreenJackets their first walkoff win by a 2-1 score.
DeMondre Arnold (3-0) fired two scoreless innings of two-hit relief to get the win for the GreenJackets in game one while Nefi Ogando (0-3) allowed the winning run and took the loss for Greenville.
In game two, the GreenJackets took an early lead before things unraveled for them thanks to a bizarre chain of events in the fifth inning. Shawn Payne doubled home a run in the first and Augusta added another in the third when Willoughby scored on a double play ball to give the GreenJackets a 2-0 edge headed into the fifth inning.
Bryce Bandilla was cruising for the GreenJackets into the fifth and struck out the first two hitters to pick up two outs in the inning. After Nick Natoli worked a two-out walk, Bryce Johns hit a fly ball into shallow center that was dropped and the inning was extended. After the error, Keury De La Cruz singled home a run to pull the Drive to within a run. Bandilla bounced back to strikeout out Garin Cecchini, but a passed ball allowed Cecchini to reach while the tying run crossed the plate and knotted things at two.
David Renfroe followed with a two-run double to put Greenville in the lead for the first time in the nightcap at 4-2. After the double, words were exchanged between GreenJackets players and players on the Greenville bench and benches and bullpens briefly emptied. Umpires and coaching staffs were able to restore order and no punches were thrown. On the first pitch after play resumed, Henry Ramos doubled home Renfroe to cap the five-run frame and send Bandilla to the showers.
Despite a career-high ten strikeouts, Bandilla (1-3) became the hard-luck loser as his defense failed to help him record the third out of the fifth. In 4.2 innings, he allowed five runs - all unearned - on four hits and four walks.
The Drive loaded the bases with three straight singles in the sixth before De La Cruz unloaded with Greenville's first grand slam of the season to put the game out of reach at 9-2. Augusta got two back in the bottom of the inning on a Ben Thomas two-run double, but the Drive answered that in the seventh on back-to-back RBI doubles by Johns and De La Cruz - the latter of which capped a six-RBI nightcap for De La Cruz - to push the Greenville lead back to seven runs at 11-4.
Scott Swinson (1-0) took the game two victory for the Drive, firing six innings and allowing four runs - three earned - on five hits and a walk.
The GreenJackets and Drive will tangle in the fourth game of the five-game set on Saturday night. Augusta sends Kyle Crick (1-1, 1.86) to the mound against Greenville's Henry Owens (2-1, 6.17). The GreenJackets will be wearing special pink uniforms on Pink in the Park Night that will be auctioned off postgame. In addition, the first 1,000 fans will receive free pink hats and everyone in attendance will be treated to a postgame fireworks display. First pitch of 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.
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