NORTH AUGUSTA, SC: Playing as the Pavos Salvajes de Augusta for the first time this year, Augusta used an early lead to their advantage as they downed the Charleston RiverDogs 5-2 for the third straight win this week.
For the first time this series, Charleston struck first, as Augusta starter Jeremy Reyes had difficulty settling in for his second home start of the year.
Reyes was able to strand two men in the first, but could not do the same in the second. Ricardo Gonzalez began the inning with a double, and took third on a pickoff error. Jose Monzon displayed a good bit of situational hitting, punching one skyward to score Gonzalez on a sac fly.
After Charleston opened the scoring, the Pavos came flying in to punch back, taking starter Ryan Andrade to task in the early goings.
The Pavos loaded the bases in the second with nobody out on two singles and a Gonzalez error, and Alen Pineda continued his strong week with a two-run single that gave Augusta the lead.
After Andrade escaped further damage, Isaiah Drake and Colby Jones knocked singles in the third before Mason Guerra obliterated his team-high 5th homer of the year off the batter’s eye in straightaway center field to give the Pavos a 5-1 cushion.
Reyes’ night came to a conclusion after three hard-fought innings, but the Pavos Salvajes had a stable full of arms ready to take up the cause.
David Rodriguez was the first man out, and looked as good as he has all season. After a leadoff double to Connor Hujsak, Rodriguez retired the next 12 men he faced, inducing a series of soft ground balls en route to his second win of the year.
Augusta’s offense did not extend the lead further, as a trio of RiverDog relievers worked around hard contact to post zeroes every inning after the third.
Drake, Guerra, and Luis Sanchez all posted multi-hit games, but the five runs scored against Andrade would need to be enough for the back end of the bullpen to work with.
Charleston looked sluggish at the plate throughout the middle innings, and a 1-2-3 8th from Justin Long had Augusta fans anticipating a routine 9th.
That easy ride would never come, however, as Long (who had not allowed a hit this year) gave up two hits and two walks to start the 9th to put the tying run on first and the go-ahead run at the plate with nobody out.
With the RiverDogs rallying, Wynston Sawyer entrusted the lead to Jacob Gomez, looking to rebound from a difficult outing in Columbia.
Gomez was more than ready for the moment, striking out Gonzalez, Woo Shin, and Monzon in succession to strand all three inherited runners and give the Pavos the victory in their newly designed alternate uniforms.
The win streaks have now piled up in various categories for Augusta, as the team has won four straight overall, four straight at home, and three straight against the RiverDogs this week.
The Jackets now sit just a half-game out of first place, trailing both the Columbia Fireflies and Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. Augusta will send Owen Hackman to the mound Friday, May 23, looking for the winning ways to continue against the Dogs.
