SAL1 Charleston RiverDogs

RiverDogs Spray Sand Gnats, 7-3

Published on June 28, 2007 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release


Charleston sent 10 batters to the plate in a six-run fifth inning and Grant Duff picked up his league-leading 10th win as the RiverDogs notched a 7-3 victory over the Savannah Sand Gnats in South Atlantic League action Thursday night in front of 6,011 fans at a packed Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

The RiverDogs opened a six-game homestand with a victory to improve to 42-35 overall and 5-2 in the season's second half while the Sand Gnats slipped to 23-54 overall and 3-4 in the second half.

In Charleston's six-run fifth, which represented the most runs the RiverDogs have scored in an inning this season, Tim O'Brien, Chris Kunda and Wilmer Pino began the frame with consecutive singles to load the bases with the team trailing 2-0. James Cooper then singled home two runs to tie the game against Savannah starter Jeremy Mizell (3-7).

Jeramy Simmons then replaced Mizell and was greeted rudely by Seth Fortenberry, who was credited with a RBI when he reached first on a fielding error by second baseman Hector Pellot.

After a Kevin Smith walk and a Josue Calzado strikeout, Eduardo Nunez reached on a fielder's choice when he hit the ball to third baseman Leivi Ventura who threw home. Savannah catcher Francisco Pena let the ball slip through him for an error scoring Pino. Pena then committed a second miscue on the play when he threw the ball to the plate and it bounced off Fortenberry as he scored the second run, and as the ball rolled away again, Smith scored to make it 6-2.

In the inning, the RiverDogs scored six runs on four hits and was aided by Savannah's three errors.

The Sand Gnats jumped to a quick 2-0 lead in the second inning when D.J. Wabick, who played collegiately at nearby College of Charleston, dribbled a grounder down the third base line and RiverDogs pitcher Grant Duff threw wildly to first base sending Wabick to second. He moved to third base on a wild pitch and then scored on Duff's second wild pitch of the inning.

After that, Pena drew a walk, stole second and scored on Joe Holden's RBI single to right.

Savannah added their third and final run in the sixth on Pena's RBI groundout to third, but Charleston extended their lead to 7-3 in the bottom of the sixth when Fortenberry lifted a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Kunda..

In collecting his league-leading 10th win of the season and fifth in his last six starts, Duff (10-5) pitched six complete innings, allowed three runs while scattering five hits, walking three and striking out three. Duff was helped by Garrett Patterson who pitched an uneventful seventh inning, and then Ferdin Tejeda, who pitched the final two stanzas and struck out two.

Mizell surrendered four runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out a pair. He was relieved by Simmons, who threw two innings and allowed three runs on no hits but walked three batters, and Alex Beras, who pitched the final two innings and walked two yet fanned three.

Offensively, Charleston had seven hits on the night with Pino securing two of them. Cooper and Fortenberry were each credited with two runs batted in. Savannah, which also recorded seven hits, was led by Wabick's three knocks, giving him seven in the last two games.

The finale of this brief two-contest block is set for Friday night at 7:05 p.m. Charleston manager Torre Tyson has announced that lefty Mike Dunn (9-3, 3.20 ERA) will get the mound call while Savannah manager Tim Teufel, a former Clemson All-American, is expected to counter with righty Josh Stinson (2-8, 5.13 ERA).

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South Atlantic League Stories from June 28, 2007


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