Gades Greatness: Counting down top 12 moments of 2024, #3-1

For the final piece of the year, we have finally hit the final three moments in our countdown of the top 12 moments of the 2024 Hudson Valley Renegades season. We've already seen record-breaking performances, unbelievable catches, memorable finishes, and dominant stretches. Without further ado, let's get into the top three moments of 2024.

If you missed the first part of the countdown, you can read part one here, part two here, and part three here.

12. Single-Game Attendance Record Broken Twice

11. Rafael Flores Becomes All-Time Hit King

10. Moving On To The Championship Series Once Again

9. Trent Sellers Dominates in July

8. The Juan Crisp Game - Craziness in Greensboro

7. Doubleheader Sweep Of Wilmington On August 22

6. Jared Serna goes deep three times

5. Jace Avina home run robbery

4. Renegades execute first seven-game sweep in SAL history

3. Roc Riggio goes head over heels for double play

One of the biggest storylines with the Renegades throughout the season was the steady improvement of their defense. Manager Nick Ortiz and Defensive Coaches Derek Woodley and Zak Wasserman diligently worked with the team every day throughout the season, turning what was a shaky defensive unit at the start of the year into one of the best in the South Atlantic League by the end. One of the best examples of that turnaround was Roc Riggio, who committed 14 errors in the first two months of the season, and just five over the final four months. However, it was evident early on that Riggio had great ability on that side of the ball, as a play he made on April 18 against Aberdeen showed.

In the top of the seventh with Triple-A rehabber Hudson Haskin on at second base, Joel Valdez faced slugging catcher Creed Willems. Willems popped a ball up to shallow centerfield. Riggio, playing shortstop that day raced back as centerfielder Nelson Medina raced in. Riggio made the call and Medina slid down to avoid a collision. He made the catch before his legs collided with Medina's body and sent him into a full somersault and he hung on for the catch. Then, in almost no time, Riggio threw the ball blindly from his back toward second base in an effort to double off Haskin. With no one else covering the bag, first baseman Josh Moylan alertly raced over, picked the ball on one short hop and stepped on the base to complete one of the most acrobatic double plays in recent years.

That play was key in what would eventually be an 8-7 Renegades walk-off win on a wild pitch by Deivy Cruz, scoring Cole Gabrielson and giving Hudson Valley their third straight walk-off win over Aberdeen.

2. Walk-off no-hitter

There is an old adage that you see something new every time you come to the ballpark, and fans who came to Heritage Financial Park on Friday, July 19 saw something so rare, that it has only happened four times in the history of the American and National Leagues. It was the first game after the All-Star Break, and the Renegades welcomed the Rome Emperors to the Hudson Valley for a three-game series. Kyle Carr got the start for the 'Gades, looking to get his season on track after posting a 6.53 ERA before the break. He went home to California for a few days during the break, which helped him mentally reset. He returned looking like a completely new pitcher.

Carr walked two batters in the top of the first but danced around trouble thanks to a caught stealing, and issued another walk leading off the second. He settled in from there though, retiring the final 12 batters he faced. In addition to the mental reset, Carr credited a new two-seam fastball for his success in keeping hitters off-balance throughout the game. Rome's Mitch Farris matched Carr in shutting down the Renegades, scattering four hits across 6.1 shutout innings.

After 5.0 strong innings, Carr gave way to Trent Sellers, who was in the midst of his stretch of 35 consecutive batters retired that has been mentioned a few times in this countdown. Making his last relief appearance of the year, Sellers threw 3.0 perfect innings, retiring all nine batters he faced and striking out three. In the top of the ninth, Hueston Morrill walked Justin Janas to lead off the inning, breaking a streak of 21 straight batters retired before setting down the rest of the Emperors with ease.

The game was still tied 0-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth, and Carr, Sellers and Morrill had combined to throw nine no-hit innings. Roc Riggio led off against Shay Schanaman, who had replaced Farris in the seventh. Roc Riggio led off the bottom of the ninth and bunted the first pitch foul. After the bunt attempt, Riggio noticed the third baseman creeping in and decided to swing away. Schanaman's 0-1 pitch was a grooved breaking ball that Riggio hammered to deep right field for a home run -- a walk-off homer to seal the third no-hitter in Renegades history (and the first of two on the season). It was an unbelievable moment in a season filled with them, and set the stage for the special run that Hudson Valley was about to go on.

1. Bhutan Night dominance

The single most-unforgettable night of the Renegades season had importance both on and off the field, as on Tuesday, Aug. 20 the Renegades hosted six baseball and six softball athletes from the Kingdom of Bhutan at Heritage Financial Park for Bhutan Night, an unprecedented night of international outreach and celebrating how baseball brings cultures together. In an event that was almost a year in the making, the Renegades hosted the players for an advanced instructional clinic on Monday before the game on Tuesday, where the team wore jerseys inspired by the flag of the Kingdom of Bhutan.

After the players took part in pregame ceremonies including running on the field with the players, Baron Stuart took the mound for the Renegades against flamethrowing Jarlin Susana of the Wilmington Blue Rocks, who had just shut them down three weeks earlier in Wilmington. This time, however, the Gades struck early and often, with Garrett Martin driving in George Lombard, Jr. with an RBI double in the bottom of the first. That came after Lombard threw out Onix Vega in the top of the first inning with a jump throw from the hole at shortstop that reminded all in attendance of Derek Jeter's signature play with the Yankees.

The Renegades rallied for three runs in the bottom of the second, and three more in the third to chase Susana from the game and open up a commanding 7-0 lead. Dylan Jasso added an RBI double in the sixth, and Brendan Jones cracked a two-run homer in the eighth to grow the lead to 10-0. It was a full team effort on offense, with eight of the nine batters in the lineup driving in at least one run. The only player without an RBI in the game, Roc Riggio, drew four walks which kept the early rallies going.

Meanwhile, Baron Stuart was unhittable, allowing no hits and walking only two across 6.0 shutout innings. Harrison Cohen entered and threw a 1-2-3 seventh and got Maxwell Romero to ground out to second for the first out of the eighth inning. The net batter, Johnathan Thomas, laid down a bunt and beat it out for a single to break up the no-hit bid by the Renegades staff and end a streak of 17 straight batters retired. That would be the lone hit in the game for the Blue Rocks, as Cohen finished off the eighth without incident, and Indigo Diaz threw a 1-2-3 ninth to close out the dominant win. While the no-hitter was denied by Thomas' bunt single, the 'Gades got the last laugh twice -- first with a 10-0 shutout win, and then again two days later when they threw a seven-inning no-hitter while sweeping a doubleheader against the Blue Rocks.

In a season full of some truly incredible moments and performances, it was incredibly difficult to pick only a dozen for the purposes of this countdown. That is part of what made the 30th anniversary season of Renegades baseball so special -- all the time there were new and exciting things happening. The season was an amazing journey, and 2025 promises to be another incredible ride.

Happy holidays! We can't wait to see you at the ballpark again soon!