Worrell Homers Twice as ‘Jackets Take Down FredNats

Worrell Homers Twice as ‘Jackets Take Down FredNatsBullpen hurls 4 hitless, scoreless innings as Tavarez also homers in win

*Fayetteville, NC* – The Augusta GreenJackets (Atlanta Braves) opened up their season series with the Fredericksburg Nationals (Washington Nationals) on Tuesday, returning to SRP Park for the first time since the all-star break. Fredericksburg (7-11, 37-44) surrendered three homers to Augusta (9-10, 40-44), who held the Nationals hitless from the fifth inning on in a 6-2 win.

Luis Vargas made his first start for Augusta since September of 2022, and he returned to form with a 1-2-3 first inning. The teams remained scoreless until the bottom of the second inning. Andrew Keck laced a double to left field off of Fredericksburg starter Luke Young, before Jose Dilone recorded his first Augusta extra-base hit, hammering a double off the wall in right field to score Keck comfortably. The 1-0 lead would not last, though, as Fredericksburg equalized in the top of the second on a balk from Vargas.

Augusta, clearly intent on retaking the lead, did just that in the following frame. Ambioris Tavarez hit the first pitch of the bottom of the third for a homer, before Bryson Worrell followed him up three pitches later with a homer of his own. The back-to-back jacks gave Augusta a 3-1 lead, and marked the first such occasion on the season for the GreenJackets. The FredNats got a run back in the fifth after a stolen base led to a fielding error, but the GreenJackets got a leadoff triple from Tavarez and Worrell’s second homer of the day to extend the lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the inning.

Vargas concluded his outing after five innings of two-run ball, and Ronaldo Alesandro followed him up with a scoreless frame of his own. Estarlin Rodriguez was the next man to throw for the GreenJackets, and he went two innings without allowing a baserunner. The GreenJackets added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh on a Cory Acton RBI single, and Jason Franks entered in the ninth and sealed the deal with a pair of strikeouts.

Augusta remains at home to take on the FredNats for five more games! Promotions include a Spencer Strider Bobblehead giveaway, Thursday night fireworks, and more! To purchase tickets and learn more about the week’s homestand, visit https://www.milb.com/augusta/fans/gj-homestand-preview.

About SRP Park/Augusta GreenJackets

The Augusta GreenJackets are the Single-A affiliate Atlanta Braves. 2023 Augusta GreenJackets single game tickets are on sale now for the final four homestands. 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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