RiverDogs Bullpen Collapses in Home Finale
Published on August 31, 2025 under Carolina League (CarL)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release
Charleston RiverDogs catcher Nathan Flewelling
(Charleston RiverDogs)
Charleston, SC - The RiverDogs limited Augusta to one hit through six innings and opened a 5-0 lead, but it all came crashing down as the GreenJackets rallied for an eight-run seventh inning and eventually took a 12-7 victory from Charleston in the 2025 home finale in front of 6,019 at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park.
The loss is Charleston's third in a row, dropping their second half record to 31-28 and their overall record to 66-59.
The game remained scoreless through four and a half innings. The RiverDogs threatened by loading the bases in the bottom of the third but were unable to push in any runs.
The RiverDogs finally broke the shutout and put up two runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Narciso Polanco was walked on five pitches and proceeded to steal second base. With two outs, Nathan Flewelling crushed a two-run homer off of the videoboard in right field. It was his sixth longball of the season, tied for first on the team.
Ryan Andrade shined in his final home start. He hurled six shutout innings, giving up only one hit to go along with four punchouts. He is the Carolina League leader in quality starts (10) and wins (10).
Augusta starter Jacob Shafer also had a productive outing. He tossed five innings and allowed two runs on six hits.
Charleston pulled further ahead and added three runs in the sixth to grow the lead to 5-0.
A double from Ricardo Gonzalez and a single from Derek Datil placed both men in scoring position. Jose Monzon brought both runners home on an RBI single to center. Narciso Polanco followed with a RBI double that bounced around in the RiverDog bullpen, giving Monzon the time to score from first.
The GreenJackets came back in a major way, shocking the sold-out crowd by putting up eight runs on six consecutive hits in the seventh inning to take a commanding 8-5 lead.
After three walks from Dylan Lesko loaded the bases, John Gil smacked a double that brought in the first two runs. Three straight RBI singles followed, tying the game at five. Juan Mateo then doubled in the go-ahead run, and Joe Olsavsky capped the rally with a 2-RBI single to left, completing a relentless onslaught of the RiverDogs bullpen.
The RiverDogs placed men on the corners with no outs in the bottom of the seventh, but a pop out followed up by a double play ended the scoring opportunity abruptly.
Augusta added two insurance runs in the eighth to extend their lead to 10-5.
The RiverDogs answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half on RBIs from Polanco and Brailer Guerrero to trim the deficit to 10-7.
The GreenJackets kept the pressure on, tacking on two more in the ninth to seal a 12-7 victory.
Ballpark Fun: Today marked the final MUSC Health Family Sunday of 2025 at The Joe, where thousands of families enjoyed a Paw Patrol-themed day filled with fun. The RiverDogs wore special jerseys featuring characters from the hit kids' show, while Marshall and Chase made appearances, taking photos and interacting with fans throughout the game. A highlight of the afternoon was a videoboard presentation where the RiverDogs donated a record-breaking $100,000 to MUSC Health Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital, showcasing their continued dedication to the Charleston community. Post-game, kids had the opportunity to run the bases.
The RiverDogs travel to Hickory on Tuesday to close their season out with a six-game road trip. The series opener is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
Images from this story
 Charleston RiverDogs catcher Nathan Flewelling |
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