Samuel Strickland Stellar, Strikes Send Side to Sunday Success

Samuel Strickland Stellar, Strikes Send Side to Sunday SuccessJair Casanova plates four in GreenJackets win

*Columbia, SC* – The Augusta GreenJackets (Atlanta Braves) picked up their third straight win, battling a rain delay to overcome the Columbia Fireflies (Kansas City Royals) with an 8-5 victory.. Columbia (4-4, 39-34) brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but Jair Casanova’s four runs batted in and the pitching heroics of Samuel Strickland delivered the victory to Augusta (5-3, 36-37)..

Augusta entered the contest on the backs of two straight wins, and picked up right where they left off. After each team went scoreless in the first, Bryson Worrell and Jeremy Celedonio drew walks to begin the second inning. Nick Clarno blooped a single into right field before Jair Casanova cleared the bases with a two-strike, three-RBI double. Ambioris Tavarez followed with a scalding single to left to put Augusta up 4-0.

Jared Johnson needed just 19 pitches to get through two innings, as he struck out the final two batters in the second to keep it a four-run lead. However, as the teams were emerging for the third, the umpires sent the game into a rain delay. The game resumed an hour later, and the Fireflies struck twice on a sacrifice fly and RBI single to halve the lead at 4-2.

In the top of the fifth, Augusta manufactured a run back, when Ambioris Tavarez scored from second on a pickoff error and a fielding error on the errant throw. Brett Squires launched a two-run homer off of Estarlin Rodriguez in the bottom of the frame to make it a one-run game, but Cory Acton recorded a sacrifice fly to score Jose Dilone to push the lead back to two.

Samuel Strickland (W, 2-1) entered in the bottom of the sixth, and pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh while Augusta was held off the scoreboard due to stellar relief work from Columbia’s Cooper McKeehan. The GreenJackets added two more in the top of the ninth on a Jair Casanova solo shot and E.J. Exposito’s team-high 35th RBI, before Strickland closed the door in the bottom of the frame despite two errors bringing home a consolation run for the Fireflies. Augusta clinched the series with the win.

The GreenJackets conclude their road trip tomorrow at Columbia (Kansas City Royals), before returning to SRP Park for a 4th of July Fireworks Extravaganza! For tickets and more, go to greenjacketsbaseball.com.

About SRP Park/Augusta GreenJackets

The Augusta GreenJackets are the Single-A affiliate Atlanta Braves. 2023 Augusta GreenJackets Full, Half and 20-game season seat memberships are on sale now. To learn more about the benefits and to lock in your seat to cheer on the Braves of tomorrow, visit www.gjmembers.com or call (803) 349-WINS (9467). For tickets, team merchandise, and more information visit www.greenjacketsbaseball.com.

SRP Park is the anchor piece of Riverside Village, a live, work, “playball" development which includes apartment living, retail, restaurants, class "A" office space, and a Crowne Plaza Hotel and Conference Center. To learn more about SRP Park and hosting events and availability, visit www.thesrppark.com.

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