GreenJackets Storm Past Drive, 14-0

Greenville, SC - What began as a quiet offensive game on both sides turned into a blowout in a hurry, as the Augusta GreenJackets' (23-25) bats awoke in the middle innings and allowed them to run away with a 14-0 win over the Greenville Drive (24-22) on Saturday night.

Greenville's Trey Ball (1-3) and Augusta's Christian Jones both kept their opponents off the scoreboard for the first four innings, but the GreenJackets broke through against Ball in the fifth. Ty Ross smacked a double to left-center, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Rafael Rodriguez's RBI single. John Polonius followed with a two-run homer over the Green Monster in left to make the score 3-0.

The offensive onslaught began in the sixth, as the GreenJackets tagged Drive reliever Sergio Gomez for 11 runs in two and one-third innings. Ross belted a three-run homer in the sixth to push the lead to 6-0, and the score went to 8-0 after a two-run homer by Ryder Jones in the seventh. 

Gomez retired only one batter in the eighth and gave up six runs. The big blows in the frame were Jeremy Sy's two-run double and Tyler Horan's three-run homer to right-center.

Ross led the way for Augusta with three hits and three RBI, falling a triple short of the cycle. Horan added two hits and three RBI, and Sy and Chris Lofton also had two hits. Manuel Margot collected two of the Drive's three hits on the night.

The series finale begins at 4:05 on Sunday afternoon. RH Jamie Callahan (2-3, 6.81) starts for the Drive, and the GreenJackets will send RH Chase Johnson (1-4, 4.86) to the mound.