GreenJackets Drop Second Straight to Gnats
Published on June 30, 2012 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Augusta GreenJackets News Release
Augusta, GA - Despite ten hits, the Augusta GreenJackets were shut out for the third time this season in a 3-0 loss to the Savannah Sand Gnats in front of 3,348 on a sultry Saturday night in Augusta.
Part of the problem for the GreenJackets was the lack of clutch hitting. The GreenJackets were 0-7 at the plate with runners in scoring position and they stranded 11 men on the basepaths. Feeding into that problem was the fact that seven of Augusta's ten hits came with two outs in their respective inning.
The Sand Gnats picked up a pair of runs in the second to draw first blood with four consecutive hits at the start of the inning. Yucarybert De La Cruz drove home a run with an RBI single on the third hit of the inning to give Savannah a 1-0 lead. Later in the frame, Dustin Lawley's sacrifice fly pushed the Augusta advantage to 2-0.
In the fifth, the Sand Gnats got an unearned run when De La Cruz reached on an error, took second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a groundout and then scored on Cam Maron's sacrifice fly to put the Gnats on top 3-0.
Adalberto Mejia (5-5) was forced to leave on the first pitch of the sixth inning, when Brian Harrison's comebacker drilled him in the left leg and deflected to left field for a base hit. The injury is not expected to be serious, but it did force Mejia's departure. He fired five innings and allowed three runs - two earned - on seven hits and no walks while striking out three.
The GreenJackets had plenty of scoring chances but couldn't come through. They loaded the bases with one out in the fifth, but couldn't cash in and were left scoreless. In addition, the GreenJackets stranded two each in the seventh and eighth innings.
Jimmy Fuller (1-1), who missed the entire 2011 season due to injury, got his first win in nearly two years with a solid relief effort. Fuller fired 3.2 scoreless innings of two-hit ball, striking out four to get the win. Chasen Bradford retired the side in order in the ninth, striking out the first and last hitters in the inning to pick up his first save of the season.
The GreenJackets have won all six games in the second half where they've scored first and lost all four games where the opponent has broken the ice first. For the first time in the second half, the GreenJackets have lost back-to-back contests. Augusta will look to right the ship on Sunday with Edwin Escobar (3-4, 3.50) taking the mound against Marcos Camarena (5-2, 1.52). First pitch comes at 5:35 p.m. with radio pregame coverage beginning at 5:20 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 June 30, 2012
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- Pena's Strong Start Leads Drive Past RiverDogs - Charleston RiverDogs
- GreenJackets Drop Second Straight to Gnats - Augusta GreenJackets
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