RiverDogs Fall in Carolina League Championship Series Opener

RiverDogs Fall in Carolina League Championship Series Opener

Charleston, SC – The Charleston RiverDogs dropped Game One of the Carolina League Championship Series 14-4 on Sunday night, in front of 3,327 fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

Fayetteville’s 14-run output marked the third most in a Carolina League postseason game (since at least 2005), behind Charleston’s 18-run output against Myrtle Beach in the 2023 Division Series.

Fayetteville jumped on the board first in the top of the first when Kam Durnin scored on a wild pitch to make it 1-0.

In the second inning, the Woodpeckers exploded for ten runs to expand their lead to 11-0. Throughout the frame, they sent 16 batters to the plate.

Charleston tacked on their first two runs of the night when Cooper Flemming lined a two-run double to left to make it 11-2.

After Fayetteville added on three more in the sixth, both sides held the game scoreless until the bottom of the ninth. In the frame, Slater de Brun drew a bases-loaded walk and Yirer Garcia scored on a wild pitch to cap scoring at 14-4.

After a day off on Monday, the two clubs will travel to Fayetteville for Game Two of the series. The RiverDogs will look to keep their season alive and force a decisive Game Three. First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. with coverage beginning at 6:20 on the RiverDogs Broadcast Network.

Ballpark Fun:

Despite the result, over 3,000 fans filled The Joe for the final time in the 2026 season. Fans took home Holy-City Blue rally towels and waved them around throughout the entire game. In between innings, RiverDogs’ Video Production Manager Jaxon Bast battled Charlie in a dance competition. At the end, Bast went into a forward cartwheel, completed with a split, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

The Charleston RiverDogs thank all fans for providing the best atmosphere in the Carolina League. The club led the entire league, and finished second across the Single-A level, averaging 4,162 fans in the regular season.