Compton’s Big Day Not Enough as 'Jackets Fall 6-5

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Compton’s Big Day Not Enough as 'Jackets Fall 6-5

First Baseman’s First Homer Gives Lead, but Fireflies Rally for Victory

NORTH AUGUSTA, SC: Drew Compton continued his tear through Carolina league pitching, but it proved to not be enough as Augusta fell to the Columbia Fireflies for the second day in a row.

Compton went 2-2, including his first home run of 2024, a three-run blast that gave the GreenJackets a 5-2 lead in the 5^th. He also drew a walk and was hit by pitch, and has now been on base 7 times in 8 tries over the last two games. The first baseman out of Georgia Tech has now hit safely in 11 straight games, and his 13 game on base streak is tied for the longest on the team and 2^nd-longest in the Carolina League this season.

Augusta received a strong start from righty Davis Polo, who worked around a two-run first inning to settle in and not allow a run in his final four frames, scattering a total of 7 hits with just two runs allowed despite striking out only two batters. Polo, who lost his first two starts of the year despite adequate efforts, was in line for the win when he departed, thanks to a two-run 4^th that included an RBI double from Kade Kern, and three runs in the 5^th courtesy of Compton’s long ball.

The GreenJackets turned to Beau Philip out of the bullpen, making his fourth career appearance after converting from an infielder this offseason. It was a revenge game of sorts for Philip, as he had faced the Fireflies on Opening Weekend and been charged with a blown save, allowing a run in two innings before the GreenJackets won on a walkoff in the 10^th.

Unfortunately for Augusta, Columbia was more than happy to spoil Philip’s plans, tacking on two runs in each of the two runs he worked to take the lead in the 7^th. An RBI double from Erick Peña and sacrifice fly from Dionmy Salon made it a one run game in the 6^th, and RBI singles from Daniel Vazquez and Austin Charles in the following frame put Columbia in front.

As has been commonplace this season, the Fireflies received stellar relief work that stymied the GreenJackets down the stretch. After scoring 5 runs in 5 innings against starter Emmanuel Reyes, the Jackets were held in check by the combination of Chase Isbell, Jacob Widener, and Doug Kirkland. Isbell and Widener didn’t allow a hit from the 6^th through the 8^th, when Kirkland came on looking for his first professional save. Kirkland ran into some trouble, allowing a single and two walks that loaded the bases. But after a calming meeting from catcher Dionmy Salon, Kirkland retired Robert Gonzalez on a broken bat line drive, and struck out Diego Benitez on a slider in a dirt to keep the tying run at 3^rd base and off the scoreboard.

Isbell took the win and moved to 2-1 in five relief appearances, while Philip is now 0-2 with two blown saves in four games of relief. Kirkland got his first career save, and pushed Columbia to a division-best 11-5, while Augusta fell to 7-10.

The two sides duel once again tomorrow evening as Didier Fuentes climbs the hill for his first look at Columbia in 2024, while the Fireflies counter with righty Felix Arronde, who shut down the GreenJackets through five innings on the way to the first loss of 2024 back on Opening Weekend. First pitch is at 7:05, and games can be listened to free on the GJ Radio Network, accessible at greenjacketsbaseball.com.

The GreenJackets will be back home at SRP Park next Tuesday, April 30^th, for a six-game homestand against the Charleston Riverdogs. The fun-filled week includes Country Night, Star Wars Night, and Pavos Salvajes de Augusta Night, when Augusta takes the field in their Copa de la Diversion jerseys on Cinco de Mayo. More info about all the exciting occurrences can be found here: https://www.milb.com/augusta/fans/gj-homestand-preview.

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