SALISBURY, MD: Despite entering the 9th inning with just one hit to their name, the GreenJackets refused to quit, scoring three runs in the 9th to tie and four in the 10th to shock the Shorebirds and snag a heart-pounding victory to extend their win streak to five.
After being held to a single hit and two runs through eight innings, hope felt all but lost when Delmarva scored thrice in the bottom of the 8th, rattling Jackson Dannelley for four straight hits as RBIs from Raylin Ramos, Maikol Hernandez, and Edrei Campos gave the Shorebirds a 5-2 lead with three outs to get.
The Jackets came out strong in the 9th against closer Carter Rustad, with John Gil lacing a double down the line, and Nick Montgomery and Isaiah Drake each working one-out walks.
Rustad was lifted for Kenny Leiner, and Douglas Glod lifted a sac fly, bringing the deficit to two but also pushing Augusta to its final out.
Leiner walked Jake Steels to load the bases, and Wynston Sawyer began the chess moves, pulling Eric Hartman off the bench in a big spot. Hartman laced a grounder to 2nd, and Campos botched it, committing one of Delmarva’s six errors to extend the game.
Down by one, Sawyer next called Colby Jones to hit, and Jones stood tall on a 2-2 fastball straight to the ribcage, tying the game in the most painful fashion.
David Rodriguez had recorded the last out of the 8th, and proved up to the moment in the 9th, striking out 3 hitters to force extras at Perdue Stadium.
From there, it was all Jackets in the 10th. Gil singled, and Owen Carey poked an RBI to score the automatic runner, giving Augusta its first lead.
A dropped third strike, error, and sac fly continued to add to the total, further deflating an already flattened Shorebird squad who watched their best chance to end a now-seven game losing streak slip through their fingers.
Rodriguez retired all three hitters in the 10th, and Augusta stole victory from the jaws of defeat in an emphatic fashion. The ‘Jackets survived leaving 14 men on base, and going 2-20 with runners in scoring position.
To make things more chaotic, Augusta was a worrisome 0-15 against Delmarva’s veteran arms in scoring situations through the first nine innings.
The GreenJackets’ win streak is now at five straight games, the team’s longest since 2023. Delmarva, in heartbreaking fashion, squandered strong hitting days from Ramos and Yasmil Bucce to drop its 7th straight game.
In addition to the six errors, the loss was furthered by ten walks and two hit by pitches, as self-inflicted wounds proved fatal for the Shorebirds.
Augusta will try to keep the good times going in Salisbury tomorrow night, gunning for their second consecutive series win and first on the road. For the Shorebirds, tonight’s loss may prove tough to move on from, but they’ll turn to Jacob Cravey to stop the bleeding at home.
