SAL1 Charleston RiverDogs

Jones' Blast Lifts Charleston as RiverDogs Exterminate Sand Gants, 5-2

Published on May 17, 2006 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release


CHARLESTON, SC -- First baseman Ben Jones slugged a go-ahead 3-run home run and drove in four as the Charleston RiverDogs exterminated the Savannah Sand Gnats, 5-2, in South Atlantic League action Wednesday night in front of 4,693 fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

Wilkins Arias and Zach Kroenke combined on a five-hitter and struck out nine Sand Gnats as Charleston won its sixth straight against Savannah this season after dropping the teams' first meeting.

With the victory, second-place Charleston takes the first three of the four-game series and improves its record to 23-16, while seventh-place Savannah falls to 14-25.

After being shut out on two hits through five innings by Savannah starter David Trahan (1-6), the RiverDogs drew blood in the sixth on Jones' first home run since joining the club from Tampa on May 6, a line drive that cleared the left field scoreboard.

In the inning, Reegie Corona began with a single to right field and Jose Tabata followed with another single to right. Tabata appeared to injure himself on the hit, and was replaced by pinch-runner Jonathan Poterson.

Both runners advanced on a Trahan wild pitch, and Jones, facing a 2-2 count, drilled his 3-run blast handing Charleston its first lead of the game, one it would not relinquish.

The game was scoreless until the Sand Gnats' fifth when Savannah pushed two runs across the plate off of Arias. Jose Contreras made it 1-0 with an RBI ground out to third base scoring Carlos Torres, who had opened the inning with a single.

The Sand Gnats took a 2-0 lead when the next batter, Francisco Plasencia, singled up the middle and plated Michael Daniel, who had drawn a walk.

Charleston padded its lead with insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings, the first on a Jones RBI groundout and the second on a two-out RBI single by Mario Holmann.

Kroenke (3-2), who entered the game in the sixth inning, earned the win with four shutout relief innings. He permitted only one hit and fanned five, and retired the final 10 batters he faced.

Arias, who also pitched well, scattered four hits and struck out four in his five innings.

Corona and C.J. Henry led Charleston with a pair of hits a piece, while Dee Brown picked up two base knocks for the Sand Gnats.

The RiverDogs aim for the series sweep on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. with Charleston starting Bryan Villalona (3-0, 3.12) and Savannah sending Carlos Martinez (0-1, 7.83) to the hill. Starting Friday, the first-place Rome Braves come to Riley Park for a four-game series that runs through Monday night.

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South Atlantic League Stories from May 17, 2006


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