Harris Provides Game-Winner in Extras
Published on August 6, 2011 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Augusta GreenJackets News Release
Augusta, GA - On Faith and Family Night at Lake Olmstead Stadium, it was only fitting that the GreenJackets picked up a win in somewhat miraculous fashion. Devin Harris started the three-run rally in the ninth that tied the game and answered many prayers with the game-winning hit in the tenth for the Augusta GreenJackets in a 6-5 10-inning win over the Rome Braves on Saturday night.
The GreenJackets were dead in the water in the ninth inning when Harris stood at the plate with two outs. Down 5-2, the GreenJackets had just three hits in the game and only one baserunner since the third. Harris singled and was followed by Joel Weeks, who also singled to bring the tying run to the plate. Rafael Rodriguez provided the third straight hit for Augusta to score Harris and cut Rome's lead down to 5-3.
Bobby Haney reached on an infield single to load the bases for Carlos Willoughby in the ninth. Willoughby singled home a pair to tie the game on the fifth straight hit in the inning. With the winning run at second, Chris Lofton struck out looking to send the game to extras.
Rome got a man on base in the tenth, but Mario Rodriguez came out of the GreenJackets bullpen and got a double play ball to send the game to the bottom of the tenth. Ryan Lollis led off that inning with a double to left - Augusta's only extra base hit of the contest. With one out, Ryan Scoma was intentionally walked to bring Harris back to the plate. Harris delivered with a line-drive into left-center on a 3-2 pitch to plate Lollis with the winning run and give the GreenJackets their seventh walkoff win of the season.
Rome took an early lead in the first when Chris Garcia's RBI single - the third of three hits in the inning - gave the Braves a 1-0 lead. They added another in the third on David Rohm's solo home run - the only run Rome scored in the game with less than two outs - to take a 2-0 lead.
The GreenJackets tied the game with a walk, an error and two hits in the third. A Lofton RBI groundout put the GreenJackets on the board while Ryan Lollis smacked an RBI single to tie the game at two.
The game remained at a deadlock until the eighth when Garcia again delivered for the Braves with a two-out, two-run double to put the Braves up a pair. Rome got another run in the ninth on Matt Lipka's RBI single to go up by three runs heading into the bottom of the ninth before Augusta's miraculous rally.
Rodriguez (5-5) picked up the win in relief for Augusta while Jarrett Miller (0-1) retired just one of the four hitters he faced in the tenth to pick up the loss for the Braves.
The GreenJackets - now 8-4 in extra innings this season - will send Gaspar Santiago (3-6, 4.09) to the mound on Sunday against Willie Kempf (2-3, 3.29) as they search for their third straight win. Any fan who brings a new school supply to the ballpark for the remainder of the current series will receive a FREE general admission ticket to that night's game courtesy of the GreenJackets and Knology as part of their Back to School drive. First pitch comes at 5:35 p.m. with radio pregame coverage beginning at 5:20, airing on WRDW-AM 1630 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 while further information can be found online at www.greenjacketsbaseball.com.
South Atlantic League Stories from August 6, 2011
- Gouvea Fans 10 in Four Innings, Legends Win 3-2 - Lexington Legends
- Intimidators Cruise Past Shorebirds, 14-6 - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Harris Provides Game-Winner in Extras - Augusta GreenJackets
- Kannapolis clobbers Delmarva with 14 runs - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- RiverDogs Crunch Sand Gnats, 6-5 - Charleston RiverDogs
- BlueClaws Come from Behind for 5-4 Win - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Drive's Rally Comes up Just Short, Lose 3-2 to Legends - Greenville Drive
- Tourists Top Crawdads on Saturday - Hickory Crawdads
- Saturday's Game Postponed, Doubleheader Sunday - Hagerstown Suns
- West Virginia Power Game Notes - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Delmarva Shorebirds Game Notes - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Greenville rallies in ninth, wins in 11, 11-10 - Lexington Legends
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