RiverDogs Shutout Legends for Second Straight Night

CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Charleston RiverDogs pitching staff extended its scoreless innings streak to 20 straight with a second consecutive shutout of the Lexington Legends on Sunday, 5-0, in front of a crowd of 4,824 at Joe Riley Park.
Starting pitcher Alexander Vargas (1-0) made his season debut with the RiverDogs (15-15), striking out seven Legends in five innings of two-hit baseball. Vargas was added to the roster on Saturday in place of Nick Nelson who was promoted to Advanced-A Tampa.
Brian Trieglaff and Matt Wivinis added strong relief, as the righties struck out three without allowing a baserunner in their four combined innings out of the pen.

Offensively, Leonardo Molina went 3-for-4, ripping a pair of doubles and driving in two runs on the first two-bagger in the third inning. Molina had three of the Dogs' five hits on Sunday, the third three-hit game of the 20-year-old Dominican Republic native's career.
Charleston scored all its runs in the third inning. There were four walks on a Lexington (14-14) error in the half inning, as the RiverDogs needed just one hit, a two-run double by Molina, to hang the crooked number.
Third baseman Chris Hess did draw a bases-loaded walk in the third, giving him his team-high 15th RBI, but failed to collect a base hit, snapping his six-game hitting streak.
After Vargas recorded his fifth strikeout to end the second inning, it gave RiverDogs starters their 112th strikeout in their last 100 innings of work. Charleston starters have a 1.92 ERA going back their last 103 innings.
Sunday was the team's fourth time holding an opponent scoreless this season, and the first time the Dogs have recorded back-to-back shutouts. Sunday's win also marks the third shutout in the last five games, all at Riley Park.
The RiverDogs lowered their league-best team ERA to a miniscule 2.44 mark.
Ballpark Fun
Four-legged friends and comic book legends assembled at The Joe for Superhero Sunday. Many of the galaxy's most popular figures made appearances, taking photos and signing autographs. It wasn't just the promotion everyone wanted, it was the one they needed. This Holy City Sunday also included "Bark for your Brew," a dog-friendly craft beer tasting along the concourse that included a pregame pooch parade along the warning track.

Upcoming

Charleston will battle for a series win over Lexington on Monday night as RiverDogs righty Rony Garcia (0-2, 5.32) takes on fellow right-hander Garrett Davila (1-1, 3.97). First pitch is at 7:05 on another Monday Dog Day in conjunction with 98Rock. Adult humans can enjoy dollar beers and hot dogs courtesy of Busch Light, while Lowcountry kids can participate in the rescheduled Youth Baseball Night. Monday night's contest will be broadcast on WTMA 1250 AM in the tri-county area and online streaming on the RiverDogs TuneIn radio station and MiLB.tv.
RiverDogs single-game tickets, including options to the Riley Park Club, are now available for the 2018 campaign, the club's 25^th season as the RiverDogs and their "175^th season in dog years." Ticket information can be secured by contacting the box office at (843) 577-DOGS (3647) or online at www.riverdogs.com/tickets.
--RIVERDOGS--