GreenJackets Outlast Tourists; Win 14-8 Slugfest
July 9, 2011 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Augusta GreenJackets News Release
Asheville, NC - The Augusta GreenJackets scored seven times in the second inning and 12 times in the first five innings, holding on for a 14-8 win over the Asheville Tourists on Saturday night. The GreenJackets - now 5-1 on their current road trip - can earn their first four-game series sweep of the year with a win over the Tourists on Sunday afternoon.
The Tourists struck first, sending eight to the plate against Augusta starter Gaspar Santiago in the second inning. Helder Velazquez and Kyle Parker ripped RBI doubles in the frame to put the Tourists up 2-0. With the bases full and one out, Santiago got a strikeout and a groundout in the inning to get out of the jam and the GreenJackets offense took over from there as Augusta scored the next 12 runs of the game.
Augusta's barrage began on the very first pitch of the second inning, when Ryan Lollis drilled his second home run of the year to cut Asheville's lead to 2-1. After a double and two walks loaded the bases, the GreenJackets got three straight RBI singles from Eliezer Zambrano, Bobby Haney and Carlos Willoughby to jump out to a 4-2 lead. The hitting continued after a double play put two outs on the board as Adam Duvall joined the party with an RBI single and Lollis - hitting for the second time in the inning - brought home two with an RBI double to push Augusta's advantage to 7-2.
Santiago allowed a double and two walks to the Tourists, loading the bases with two outs in the second. He got out of trouble with a strikeout to end the inning and the GreenJackets kept pouring on the offense. Bobby Haney doubled home a run in the third and Ryan Scoma doubled home another in the fourth to put the GreenJackets up 9-2. Adam Duvall moved back into a tie with Asheville's Corey Dickerson for the league home run lead with a three-run blast in the fifth inning - his 19th of the year - to put the GreenJackets on top 12-2.
Santiago departed with a no decision after three innings due to a high pitch count, but Austin Fleet came on to relieve in the fourth and retired six of the first seven he faced. The lone blemish in that run was Dustin Garneau's fifth inning solo homer to break the string of 12 straight Augusta runs. Velazquez brought home another in the sixth on his third double of the night. Lollis brought in two more with a two-run single in the seventh to push Augusta's lead to 14-4. Lollis finished a three-hit night with a season-high five RBI's.
Asheville threatened to pull close in the latter innings, getting a run in the seventh on an RBI single from Chandler Laurent. That was the last inning of work for Fleet (5-3), who allowed three runs on five hits in four innings, striking out two. Kyle Parker drilled a two-out, three-run home run off Mario Rodriguez in the eighth, but Asheville would get no closer.
Tourists' starter Juan Gonzalez (0-6) lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits - all in the second inning - while walking three.
The GreenJackets look to Shawn Sanford (5-6, 2.66) as they try for the sweep on Sunday afternoon as the Tourists send Peter Tago (2-1, 4.61) to the hill in an attempt to salvage at least one game in the current series. First pitch will come at 2:05 p.m. from Asheville with radio pregame coverage beginning at 1:50, airing on WRDW-AM 1630 and online at www.greenjacketsbaseball.com .
Single-game tickets are currently available by calling the GreenJackets front office at 706-922-WINS while further information can be found online at www.greenjacketsbaseball.com .
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