Jackets win doubles match in Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH, SC: With the GreenJacket offense forced to play two games after being shut out by rain twice in a row, the team was limited in both parts of the dual schedule. The Pelicans won the day with two victories, 2-0 and 9-1.

The first game of the day began as a pitcher’s duel, with J.R. Ritchie and Juan Bello going head-to-head, each hitting three straight outs. Both arms battled scoreless until the 4th, when Pelicans center fielder Alfonsin Rosario kicked off the bottom of the inning with a towering homerun over the left field stands. Not to be outdone, DH Andy Garriola stepped right in and did the same, extending his league-leading homerun total to 17 and giving Myrtle Beach a 2-0 lead in the 4th. Ritchie would leave one more batter behind, and despite Giomar Diaz working 2.2 scoreless innings, the ‘Jackets offense was submerged and shut out in Game One.

Myrtle Beach wasted no time in the second game, exploding for a run against starter Davis Polo. Each of the Pelicans’ first four batters reached the first inning, and six total hits in the frame produced five runs on the home team’s first chance. A Garriola double added another in the second, and Polo’s day was over after two frames and a half-dozen runs.

Augusta’s offense showed some fight in the 2nd against starter Tyler Schlaffer, opening the frame with a Will Verdung double and a Noah Williams single, but a Jacob Godman double play on a controversial runner’s interference call limited the threat to just one run. The GreenJackets would not score the rest of the way despite the efforts of Isaiah Drake, who has reached safely in every game this week, and John Gil, who is 5-13 in 4 games at Pelicans Ballpark in his first full series in Single-A.

The Pelicans would add a run in the 3rd against Adam Shoemaker, and a pair in the 5th against Rolando Gutierrez, to secure their nightcap win by a score of 9-1. The GreenJackets have one more chance tomorrow night to end their 7-game road streak against starter JP Wheat before heading home after this long road trip.

On July 30, the GreenJackets finally return home, hosting the Down East Wood Ducks for the first and only time in their final season, before moving to Spartanburg.

Tickets for this week’s games are available at greenjacketsbaseball.com or by calling 803-349-9467.