The Charleston RiverDogs went on a rollercoaster ride in Augusta this week, and after a heartbreaking 7-3 loss to the Green Jackets on May 11 at SRP Park, they'll have to settle for a split series. Despite the setback, the RiverDogs still hold a comfortable two-game lead over Hickory in the Carolina League South Standings—proof that their early-season momentum is very much alive.
The game started with fireworks in the top of the first inning when Dean Moss crushed an opposite-field home run to left, putting Charleston up 1-0. It was Moss's third homer of the season and his second that he's driven out the other way—a sign of his growing power at the plate. But Augusta answered right back in the bottom of the frame, as Tate Southisene led off with a solo shot of his own to even the score at 1-1.
Charleston wasn't done yet. In the top of the fourth, Jose Monzon and Daniel Pierce delivered back-to-back RBI singles, giving the RiverDogs a 3-1 lead. Starter Trey Pooser—a former Hanahan High School standout—kept the Green Jackets at bay, allowing just two runs over four innings before exiting with the lead intact. It was a gritty performance from the local product, but the bullpen couldn't hold the line.
Augusta tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly, then took control in the seventh. Luis Guanipa and Dalton McIntyre each launched solo homers, capping a five-run rally that sealed the 7-3 final. The Green Jackets' right-hander Kendy Richard was lights out in relief, tossing five innings while facing just two batters over the minimum—a dominant showing that silenced Charleston's bats.
With the loss, Charleston fell to 20-13 on the season, while Augusta improved to 17-16. It was a tough end to a week that saw the RiverDogs drop the series opener 7-6 on May 9, despite jumping out to an early 6-2 lead. In that game, Alex Lodise blasted a two-run homer for Augusta in the first, but Charleston roared back with Nicandro Aybar's RBI double, Derek Datil's run-scoring single, and a two-run triple from Cooper Flemming. Caden Bodine added an RBI groundout to make it 6-2, but the Green Jackets chipped away with a solo shot from Guanipa and a game-tying three-run homer from Cooper McMurray in the sixth.
Starter Alex Wallace turned in a solid outing in that one, tossing 5.1 innings with four runs allowed and a career-high eight strikeouts. But it wasn't enough to hold off Augusta's late surge.
The RiverDogs now return home to Riley Park, where they'll kick off a six-game series against the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers on May 12. With a two-game lead in the division, Charleston has plenty of reasons to stay confident—but they'll need to tighten up their bullpen if they want to keep that gap growing.