Augusta lets early lead slip, drops fifth straight to FredNats

*Fredericksburg, VA* – The Augusta GreenJackets (Atlanta Braves) took their fifth straight loss against the Fredericksburg Nationals (Washington Nationals) on Thursday evening, letting an early lead slip away for the second consecutive night. Fredericksburg (22-22, 52-55) found a big inning for the third straight game, while Augusta (20-25, 51-59) got 5.1 scoreless frames from their bullpen but failed to push across the tying run in the loss. 

The GreenJackets entered the game looking for a reversal of fortunes, having been outscored in the last four games against the Nationals by 42-13. For the second straight game, the GreenJackets took the lead in the second, when P-O Boucher singled, stole second, and eventually scored on a Jacob Godman sacrifice fly. Augusta put up two more runs in the third as Will Verdung singled home a run and Kade Kern brought a man across with a groundout to put the ‘Jackets on top 3-0. 

The FredNats, blanked by Riley Frey in the early goings, once again found their big inning as they had done in the first two contests of the series. After a seven-run frame on Tuesday and a four-run inning the previous night, the FredNats again hung a crooked number, putting up four runs in the inning to take a 4-3 lead. The inning began with an error by Ambioris Tavarez, and three of the four runs that scored were unearned on the line of Frey, but the damage was done as the hosts sent nine men to the plate in the inning. 

Shay Schanaman relieved Frey with two outs in the third and induced an inning-ending popout, and the game became a stalemate as both sides went to their bullpen. Schanaman was terrific, going a career-high 3.1 frames to extend his scoreless streak to 6.1 innings. After five hits in the first 4.1 innings,  the GreenJackets were blanked on the run and hit columns from the top of the fifth on, as the game devolved into a pitcher’s duel. The FredNats, by virtue of their arms, held on for a 4-3 win, their fifth consecutive victory over the Jackets. 

Augusta remains on the road during this two-week trip to the commonwealth of Virginia to take on the Fredericksburg Nationals (Washington Nationals), before returning home for the final 12 games at SRP Park this year! Don’t miss out on your final chance to see the 2023 GreenJackets in action! To purchase tickets and learn more about the upcoming promotions, games, and more, visit https://www.milb.com/augusta/fans/gj-homestand-preview..