ANNAPOLIS, NC: In the best start of his young career, Jeremy Reyes worked 6.2 innings without an earned run allowed, striking out a career-high ten hitters as the GreenJacketsdefeated the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 7-1.
For the first time this week, the GreenJackets did not score in the first inning, but atoned for their zero by posting a pair of runs in the second against Ricardo Brizuela.
After back-to-back outs to start the inning, Brizuela lost his usually potent command, walking Hayden Friese, hitting Joe Olsavsky, and walking Colin Burgess to load the bases. In his first at bat of the week,
Leiker Figueroa delivered the big swing, a two-run single to put Augusta in front.
Reyes would need no more insurance than that, as he flummoxed the Cannon Ballers time after time with a five-pitch mix. A Ronny Hernandez sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 4th brought home an unearned run, but no one else would cross the plate against Jeremy.
The 6.2 innings were the most in any outing in Reyes’ career, and the 10 Ks were not only his personal best, but the most by any GreenJackets pitcher this season.
The Jackets would find some insurance in the top of the 6th against Gabriel Rodriguez, who had supplanted Brizuela after four innings.
Juan Mateo and Luis Guanipa led off the inning with singles, and Mateo came home from third on a Friese ground ball to double the advantage.
The Jackets loaded the bases with two outs on another single and a walk, and Rodriguez issued a second base on balls to Eric Hartman, scoring Guanipa to make it 4-1 Augusta.
Reyes was finally relieved of duties in the 7th inning, as a two out double from Anthony DePino brought his night to a conclusion. Juan Sanchez emerged from the pen, and quickly induced a rollover groundball to end any notion of a comeback.
Augusta pushed the game out of reach in the final two chances, beginning with a balk from Liam Paddack that scored Friese from third.
Two more runs crossed in the 9th courtesy of a double from Joe Olsavsky, as the bottom of the order stole the show offensively.
Sanchez, meanwhile, worked a scoreless 8th and 9th while tying his own season high in strikeouts with four, and earned his second save of the year as a result.
The GreenJackets have tied their longest win streak of the season, winning six consecutive games including all four so far in Kannapolis.
Augusta will have to contend with the Ballers’ best arm tomorrow to keep the mojo going, as ace Grant Umberger toes the rubber to stop the skid for the Cannon Ballers.
The Jackets counter with Rayven Antonio, who has been the most consistent arm for the team all year long, and took the win last time he faced Kannapolis with five scoreless innings.
