Cannon Ballers Hand RiverDogs 5-4 Defeat in Game 1 of South Division Championship Series

Sam Antonacci’s RBI double in the top of the sixth inning helped the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers slip by the Charleston RiverDogs 5-4 in Game 1 of the South Division Championship Series on Tuesday night. A crowd of 4,012 took in the contest at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. The RiverDogs will need to win on Thursday and Friday in Kannapolis to advance to the league’s title series.

Kannapolis (1-0) settled in at the plate quickly to grab a first-inning lead. With one out, George Wolkow singled through the left side for the first hit of the game. T.J. McCants joined him on base with a two-out walk that extended the frame and moved a runner into scoring position. Ronny Hernandez paid that off by driving in the first run of the game with an RBI single to center.

One swing of the bat allowed the RiverDogs (0-1) to take their first lead in the second inning. Jhon Diaz punched a single the other way into left against Tanner McDougal to begin the stanza. Brady Marget followed with a 399-foot line drive that carried over the wall in right center field for a two-run round-tripper. The first playoff blast for the Dogs gave them a 2-1 lead.

A sacrifice fly from Arxy Hernandez in the top of the third tied the game, but Charleston jumped back in front in the bottom half. Emilien Pitre began the inning by taking a base on balls. Connor Hujsak followed with a base hit up the middle to put two on with no outs. Diaz gave the RiverDogs a 3-2 lead with a sharp double the other way. Despite having runners at second and third with no outs, the home team could not add on as McDougal struck out the next three.

The escape by the righthander proved to be massive when his offense continued the momentum in the top of the next frame. A walk to Jackson Appel began the frame, and on the very next pitch Ryan Burrowes blasted a two-run home run to put the Cannon Ballers on top 4-3. The shortstop had just one home run in 77 regular season games.

Once again, the RiverDogs found a way to erase that deficit, scoring a single run in the fifth. With two outs and nobody on base, Diaz extended the inning with a single to left. He stole second to get into scoring position and raced home on Marget’s single through the left side as the score evened 4-4.

Gary Gill Hill, the RiverDogs starter, departed after 3.1 innings, having allowed four runs, three of them earned. He struck out five and walked three while scattering six hits. Lefty Drew Dowd followed him out of the bullpen and struck out nine batters while working the final 5.2 innings. However, a pair of doubles in the sixth brought home the decisive run. The first put Jackson Appel into scoring position and the second, from Antonacci, dropped fair in shallow left field to make it 5-4.

The RiverDogs mustered just two singles from that point forward, failing to score again. The Cannon Ballers outhit the RiverDogs 11-10 in victory. McCants posted three hits with Antonacci and Ronny Hernandez each collecting two. Marget went 2-4 with three runs batted in and Diaz led the way with three hits, including a double.

Ballpark Fun

As has become an annual tradition in Charleston during September, an energetic crowd packed the seats at The Joe for Game 1 of the playoffs. The first 1,000 fans into the ballpark received a free playoff t-shirt courtesy of Gildan. Fans were also offered $1 beers throughout the evening.

The RiverDogs need to win on Thursday night in Kannapolis to keep their season alive. RHP Santiago Suarez (7-6, 4.11) will toe the rubber for the RiverDogs. He will be opposed by RHP Mason Moore (0-0, 19.29) of the Cannon Ballers. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.