COLUMBIA – The same formula for success worked once again for the Augusta GreenJackets on Sunday
night as they took down the Columbia Fireflies, 8-3 thanks to extra-base power and strong pitching.
The GreenJackets wasted no time getting on the board as Brandol Mezquita brought home Geraldo
Quintero on a sacrifice to put Augusta on top 1-0 after an inning of play.
The power swings came alive in the second inning as Mahki Backstrom drilled a homerun to the opposite
field to double the Augusta lead to 2-0 with a solo homer, his first of the season.
After another GreenJacket runner scored due to a throwing error in the top of third, Backstrom would continue to flex his muscles as he brought home another run with a rocket to the right-field corner to plate
home Mezquita and move the lead up to 4-0.
The score would remain 5-3 all the way until the seventh inning, when Kadon Morton, facing a 3-2 count
with two outs, dropped the hammer with a clutch three-run bomb over the left-field wall to deliver the
dagger for Augusta, giving them their largest lead of the game at 8-3.
Miguel Peña relieved Niekro in the bottom of the seventh and Peña along with Ben Thompson and Juan Mateo each threw up zeroes on the scoreboard respectively to close out an opening series victory for the GreenJackets, 8-3.
Niekro earned the victory in relief for Augusta pitching 3.2 innings of shutout baseball allowing no hits,
with three strikeouts while walking two Fireflies. Columbia’s starting pitching Eric Ceratola was saddled
with the loss.
The nine-game road trip for the GreenJackets to open the season continues on Tuesday as they face the
Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Chicago Cubs) for the opener of a six-game series at TicketReturn.com Field. First
pitch of Tuesday’s contest begins at 7:05 p.m. as Landon Leach gets the ball to start in what will be his
GreenJackets’ debut
