SAL1 Charleston RiverDogs

Murphy's Home Run Downs Greenville, 7-5

Published on May 27, 2010 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release


GREENVILLE, S.C. - J.R. Murphy clocked a three-run home run in the eighth inning, and Charleston's bullpen held on for dear life in a 7-5 win over the Greenville Drive in South Atlantic League action at Fluor Field Thursday evening.

Charleston improves to 21-27 with back-to-back wins, while Greenville falls to 23-25.

Down 4-3 in the eighth, Kelvin Castro singled to right and then took second on Jimmy Paredes' bunt single. Murphy then came to the dish and socked his first South Atlantic League home run to bring home Castro and Paredes for a 6-4 Charleston lead.

The Drive got a run back in the eighth, when Jeremy Hazelbaker roped a two-out RBI double off Ryan Acosta for a 6-5 margin. Ronny Marte then entered for Charleston and walked Reynaldo Rodriguez to start, but fanned Joantoni Garcia with the go-ahead run at second base.

Castro gave Charleston an insurance run in the ninth with a two-out RBI double for a 7-5 score.

In the bottom half, Marte walked Christian Vazquez and then moved him to second on a wild pitch. After another wild offering, Vazquez attempted to take third, but Murphy gunned him down for the first out. Reymond Fuentes followed with an infield single and then stole second base before Marte hit Derrik Gibson with a 3-2 pitch.

Dickson Marquez was summoned from the bullpen and induced Chris McGuiness to ground into a game-ending double play for his first save of the season and give Charleston a split in the four-game series.

Acosta (2-1) picked up the victory in his 1.0 inning of relief allowing a run on three hits.

Kyle Higashioka launched his third home run of the season - and first since April 16 -- in the second inning off starter Kendal Volz over the Green Monster in left field to commence the scoring for a 2-0 RiverDogs lead.

Greenville responded in the bottom half to tie the game at 2-2 on a two-run home run by Hazelbaker inside the right-field pole against Jairo Heredia for his fourth circuit clout of the campaign.

Zoilo Almonte gave the RiverDogs the lead back with an opposite-field solo home run to left in the sixth against reliever Jeremiah Bayer (1-1) for a 3-2 advantage.

Heredia gave up a leadoff single to Michael Almanzar in the seventh then a double to Reynaldo Rodriguez to the left-centerfield alley, but the RiverDogs executed a perfect relay from Ray Kruml to Castro to Murphy to keep the 3-2 lead.

With two outs and two men on later in the frame, Heredia was lifted for reliever Ryan Acosta, who promptly allowed a two-run double to Christian Vazquez for a 4-3 Greenville lead.

Heredia took a no-decision for Charleston permitting four runs in 6.2 innings with a season-best seven strikeouts, while Volz did the same for Greenville in 5.0 innings of two-run ball with four strikeouts.

Charleston's 10-hit arsenal was anchored by three home runs for the first time this season, while Castro notched a double and two singles with a RBI.

Charleston journeys to Kannapolis, N.C. to battle the Kannapolis Intimidators, a Chicago White Sox affiliate, for a four-game series beginning Friday at 7:05 p.m. The RiverDogs will start right-hander Jose Ramirez (2-3, 2.65 ERA), while Kannapolis plans to pitch southpaw Joe Serafin (4-2, 2.80 ERA).

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South Atlantic League Stories from May 27, 2010


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