NORTH AUGUSTA, SC: Shortstop John Gil hit as many home runs tonight as he did in his first 77 games combined, unleashing a huge power surge in an 11-2 trouncing of the Charleston RiverDogs.
The GreenJacket bats got going early for the second straight night, scoring within the first three batters against Jacob Kmatz. Eric Hartman began the bottom of the first with a double, and after a deep fly out from Gil, Hartman came sprinting home as Owen Carey cracked a double of his own.
The bats would triple the lead in the third, as Leiker Figueroa began the inning with a single in his first at bat since being readded to the roster.
Two batters later, Gil hooked a soaring line drive over the left field wall for his third home run of the year and a 3-0 advantage.
Charleston’s one string of offense came in the 4th, as they used a series of deep counts to chase starter Rayven Antonio. A leadoff walk to Nathan Flewelling and subsequent single from Angel Mateo gave the RiverDogs a shot, but Antonio appeared to curtail their chance with back-to-back outs.
Jose Monzon, however, worked an 11-pitch walk to load the bases, and Jose Perez followed with a 10-pitch at bat of his own that culminated in a two-run single to end Antonio’s evening.
Jacob Shafer emerged from the bullpen and induced a fly out to end the inning, and Charleston uttered no further challenge for the remainder of the contest.
Shafer would go on to work 4.1 scoreless innings, and pick up his second win in as many games. The GreenJacket bats, meanwhile, would roar forth to pull well out of striking distance in the game’s second half.
The GreenJackets sent Kmatz off the field in the fifth with three runs on four hits, as Carey knocked his second RBI double of the night before Hayden Friese sliced a two-out, two-run single to the opposite field for a 6-2 lead.
Augusta went down in order in the 7th, but Gil ambushed a first-pitch fastball from reliever Dylan Lesko in the 7th for a three-run home run and his first multi-homer game as a pro.
Two more unearned runs scored off the bat of Eric Hartman in the 8th, and Augusta reached double digit hits for the fourth straight game.
Sunday, Aug. 10, offers a chance to win the series, as the homestand closes out with Owen Hackman on the mound for a 5:05 finale.
