SAL1 Charleston RiverDogs

Savannah Takes Two from Charleston, 5-3 & 2-1

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


SAVANNAH, Ga. - A four-run rally in the fifth inning of game one and a complete-game effort in game two proved to be the correct recipe for a doubleheader sweep by Savannah over the RiverDogs, 5-3 and 2-1, in South Atlantic League action at Historic Grayson Stadium Friday evening.

Savannah improves to 26-34, 68-62 overall, while the RiverDogs have dropped five of six overall and sit at 30-31, 61-69 overall, with one more loss clinching the team's first losing season since 2002.

Slade Heathcott started game one in the first by tripling off the left-field wall against starter Collin McHugh, and then scored on a RBI single by Ramon Flores for a 1-0 lead.

In the second, Taylor Grote singled, Kevin Mahoney reached on an error, and then Emerson Landoni singled to load the bases. After McHugh recorded back-to-back outs, Grote scored from third on a wild pitch with J.R. Murphy batting to give the RiverDogs a 2-0 lead.

Savannah scored its first run of the series in the third off Charleston's Mike Solbach via Jordan Abruzzo's RBI double, cutting the score to 2-1. The run broke Solbach's scoreless streak at 14 innings over four different starts.

The Sand Gnats snatched a 5-2 lead from the RiverDogs in a four-run fifth inning on a pair of two-run home runs from Robbie Shields and R.J. Harris.

Solbach (4-5) pitched 4.1 innings, giving up three runs on six hits, with three walks and a career-high tying eight strikeouts.

Charleston loaded the bases with no one out in the seventh against closer Brandon Sage and trimmed the deficit to 5-3 on Rob Lyerly's sacrifice fly. However, Sage got the final two outs of the contest to record his sixth save.

McHugh (5-8) tossed 5.0 full innings, permitting four hits - none over the final 3.0 frames - and two runs with three walks and four punchouts.

Game two featured an excellent pitcher's duel between Charleston's Shane Greene and Savannah's Gonzalez Germen. The contest entered the bottom of the sixth tied at 0-0 with only three combined hits - one for Charleston, two for Savannah.

Greene walked the leadoff batter Luis Nieves, but recorded the next two outs with Nieves only advancing to second base. Greene then walked Robbie Shields on four pitches, and gave way to reliever Francisco Gil, who walked Jordan Abruzzo on four pitches to load the bases.

With Travis Ozga batting, Gil uncorked consecutive wild pitches to score Nieves then Shields to give Savannah a 2-0 lead.

The RiverDogs barked back in the seventh on a one-out solo home run by Luke Murton for a 2-1 game, but Germen stranded the tying run on base to cinch the complete-game victory.

Germen (1-0) -- the reigning Appalachian League Pitcher of the Week for the Kingsport Mets who was added to Savannah's roster earlier in the day -- allowed just three hits in his first career complete game, while walking none and sinking seven. It marks the first time the RiverDogs fell victim to a complete game since Aug. 2008.

Greene (0-1) took the hard-luck defeat, surrendering two runs on only two base hits - both singles by Abruzzo -- with two walks and five strikeouts.

The final road game of the regular season is set for Saturday at a special 6:05 p.m. start time, featuring Charleston right-hander Mike Gipson (0-1, 9.00 ERA) battling Savannah right-hander John Church (7-2, 2.50 ERA).

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South Atlantic League Stories from August 27, 2010


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