Courtesy the Augusta GreenJackets
NORTH AUGUSTA – No dramatic finish was necessary for Game 2 between the Augusta GreenJackets (9-8) and the Delmarva Shorebirds (5-12) following a walk-off win on Tuesday for Augusta. The GreenJackets bats heated up in a major way on Wednesday night as they defeated Delmarva 14-2 behind a season-high 17 hits and a 10-run sixth inning.
The game began with a first-inning run from Augusta as Brandol Mezquita picked up an early RBI with a long sacrifice fly to the warning track in right field to score Caleb Durbin, making it 1-0.
The GreenJackets small-balled their way to another run in the second courtesy of another sacrifice fly, this time from Brian Klein to score Mahki Backstrom to up the lead to 2-0.
One more run would be added to the tally in the fourth inning on an RBI groundout from Caleb Durbin as he legged out a potential double-play ball to score Victor De Hoyos and make it a 3-0 game.
Thanks to strong pitching from starter pitcher Luis Vargas, Delmarva failed to mount any sort of comeback early as Vargas shut out the Shorebirds for four innings in the first professional start of his career.
Isrrael De La Cruz entered the game for Vargas in the fifth inning and kept the momentum going as he silenced Delmarva with a pair of scoreless innings to keep the lead at 3-0.
In the bottom half of the sixth, the GreenJackets came through with their best inning of the season by scoring 10 times with six hits. Brian Klein started the scoring in the inning with an RBI single to plate Connor Blair. Caleb Durbin followed him up by driving in Victor De Hoyos to make it a 5-0 game. A wild pitch, bases-loaded walk, and a balk took the lead up to 8-0. Brandon Parker kept the hit parade going with an RBI single to left to score Brandol Mezquita making it 9-0. A passed ball ensued after that to plate home Stephen Paolini. And the grand finale of the inning was a three-run moonshot by Victor De Hoyos over the left field wall to put a bow on an incredible inning and a career performance for the catcher who finished the night 5/5 with two singles, two doubles, and a home run to cap an outstanding 10-run inning.
The Shorebirds would score two runs in the seventh inning to break the shutout and make it a 13-2 game. Augusta would tack on one additional run in the eighth inning on a fielder’s choice from Caleb Durbin to secure a 14-2 victory for the GreenJackets, claiming their third consecutive win in the process.
Along with the big night from De Hoyos, the GreenJackets also got notable offensive performances from Caleb Durbin who singled three times and drove in three runs. Brian Klein reached base in all of his at-bats with two singles, a walk, and a hit by pitch while producing a run with his second-inning sacrifice fly.
Isrrael De La Cruz earned his second victory of the season in relief with his two scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth. James Acuna and Peyton Williams took care of the final three innings for Augusta on the mound. Daniel Federman was saddled with the loss for the Shorebirds.
The GreenJackets will look to keep the momentum from Wednesday’s lopsided win into Thursday as they square off with the Shorebirds for Game 3 at SRP Park with AJ Smith-Shawver set to start versus Juan De Los Santos for Delmarva. First comes from SRP Park at 7:05 p.m.
The second homestand continues with Thirsty Thursday and the first College Night of the season where college students can celebrate the end of the Semester with the GreenJackets with $1 off tickets at the gate with a college I.D. The weekend begins with Braves BUZZFest and Feature Friday with this week’s featured item being the Peanut Butter Jelly Time Burger and Dog – Peanut Butter, Bacon, Red Pepper Jelly, and Cheese. The excitement continues on Saturday with live pregame music on Saturday from Brett Lundy with $4 White Claws until first pitch, and another Fireworks Extravaganza following the game. The homestand concludes with a team photo giveaway for the first 2,000 fans presented by Augusta University Health, Children’s Hospital of Georgia, Kona Ice, & Putt-Putt Fun Center. Also, be sure to bring your dog to the park for Bark in the Park on Sunday presented by Hollywood Feed!
The Augusta GreenJackets are the Single-A Affiliate of the Atlanta Braves playing in the state of the art SRP Park located in North Augusta, SC. 2022 Augusta GreenJackets season seat memberships are on sale now. To learn more about the benefits and to get in on the action, visit www.gjmembers.comor call (803) 349-WINS (9467).. To learn more about the benefits and to get in on the action, visit www.gjmembers.comor call (803) 349-WINS (9467).
