Road Trip Turnaround Evades RiverDogs
July 27, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release
SALISBURY, Md. - Despite a solid debut by freshly called up starter Josh Maciejewski (pronounced "mah-chee-ESS-skee), the RiverDogs' bats continued to struggle as Charleston dropped the eighth of their last 11 games with a 5-0 shutout defeat to the Delmarva Shorebirds on Saturday night at Perdue Stadium.
Replacing one of two All-Star starters called up by the Yankees on Thursday, Maciejewski (L, 0-1) pitched admirably without his best stuff. Despite occasional lapses in command, the left-hander worked out of several jams to hold the Shorebirds (73-32, 25-11) to just one run over the first six innings. The former UNC-Charlotte standout stranded three of the four leadoff baserunners he allowed in a night in which he primarily worked from the stretch. He finished the night strong, retiring eight-in-a-row after a leadoff single in the fourth.
Charleston's (51-55, 14-22) offense continued to flounder, managing just four hits off a trio of arms from Delmarva's league-best pitching staff. The Holy City squandered an opportunity when Brandon Lockridge worked a walk and shortstop Oswald Peraza singled consecutively to start the ballgame but came up short. Right fielder Josh Stowers worked a walk and advanced to third on a pair of stolen bases in the seventh but was left stranded when three straight RiverDogs batters went down swinging to southpaw Matt Hammonds (W, 3-2), who fanned six over four shutout frames to garner the win.
Since the All-Star break, the RiverDogs are batting just .224 as a team, the second-worst mark in the league, while ranking last in team OPS (.605) and home runs (7).
Delmarva put the game to bed in the seventh, when four straight reached to open the inning, leading to three runs crossing the plate on just two hits. Former TCU Horned Frog Johnny Rizer finished the night 3-for-4, adding an exclamation fifth run on an RBI double in the eighth.
Peraza cracked two Charleston's four hits with a pair of singles in the 19-year-old's first two at-bats of the night.
Upcoming
The RiverDogs look for their first win of series in Delmarva on Sunday evening. Maryland-prep product Harold Cortijo (4-2, 2.53), a former 14th round draft choice out of Riverdale Baptist High School in the Baltimore area, will face the Shorebirds in game three. Cortijo had been a model of consistency in the Charleston rotation since a June 6 call up to the South Atlantic League, going at least five innings and permitting no more than two runs in seven straight starts until being chased in the fifth after yielding six last Sunday against Lexington. Lefty Ryan Wilson (5-3, 2.72) will toe the rubber in opposition for the Shorebirds; the 22-year-old has not given up more than two runs in seven straight starts entering play. He has run a 1.02 ERA since mid-June. First pitch of game three of the four-game series is at 5:05 p.m.
Catch the game on WTMA 1250 AM in the tri-county area and online streaming on the TuneIn Radio app. Fans can "Make Fun" with the RiverDogs all season long down at The Joe. Single-game tickets, including options to the Riley Park Club, are available at riverdogs.com/tickets or by contacting the RiverDogs front office at 843-577-3647 (DOGS). A full schedule and list of game times for the 2019 season is available at riverdogs.com.
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