RiverDogs Trail in Suspended Opener, Will Resume in Friday Doubleheader

CHARLESTON, S.C. - A close, back-and-forth affair in the opener of a four-game series between the RiverDogs and the Lexington Legends was forced to be suspended in the bottom of the seventh inning with a 3-2 Legends lead due to a torrential downpour. Lexington had just taken the lead in the top of the frame with a dwindling crowd of 4,580 in attendance at Riley Park.
The two clubs will resume the series-opener at 6:00 p.m. Friday evening, and then play a full nine-inning game two following the conclusion of the suspended game one.
The Legends manufactured the opening marker in the first inning to support starter Charlie Neuweiler using the speed of the top third of Lexington's batting order. John Rave, Rudy Martin and Nathan Eaton entered the night with 37 combined stolen bases between the trio. Rave led off the inning with a single, stole second and eventually came around to score on a sac fly by Chris Hudgins.
Neuweiler made the 1-0 score stand up for the first four Charleston offensive innings, including a stretch that saw the first four RiverDogs of the game go down on strikes and six of the first eight. He faced the minimum through the first three innings, allowing only a single to Josh Stowers, who was picked off of first base by Charleston backstop Anthony Seigler.
Roansy Contreras, toeing the rubber for the Holy City, matched his counterpart pitch-for-pitch following the top of the first. The righty fired four more scoreless frames, ending his night with just the one marker allowed in five innings of work, adding five strikeouts against two walks.
The RiverDogs finally cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth, making the Lexington righty pay for a leadoff walk to Canaan Smith. Eric Wagaman later singled him to second, and Oliver Dunn plated the Charleston left fielder with a single to right field.

Lexington and Charleston traded a run in both halves of the sixth, before the Legends regained the lead in the top of the seventh. The rain followed shortly after.
Ballpark Fun
Bring your hard hats! Thursday night was Construction night presented by Sunbelt Rentals at the Joe. Featuring everything you would normally see on a construction site, Riley Park was decked out with everything from orange cones to caution tape. RiverDogs staff completed the night by donning bright yellow and orange construction vests. Fans received free construction pencils, pens and souvenir cups on the way in, as well. To add to the Thursday night fun, it was another Budweiser Thirsty Thursday, so those in attendance hung out up on the Ashley View Pub and enjoyed $1 beers to end their night on a relaxing note.
Several fans stuck around during the rain delay and were treated to a stand/dance-off between RiverDogs reliever Tanner Myatt and Lexington starter Jon Heasley. Some even spent some time in the rain dancing to the music playing over the ballpark PA system.

Upcoming
After completing the suspended contest, Charleston will continue its four-game home series against the Legends with a Friday night tilt, sending righty Luis Gil (4-5, 2.38) to the mound. Gil will be facing Lexington for the first time this season, and is coming off a brief but solid outing July 14, in which he allowed two runs in 3 1/3 innings to the Fireflies at Segra Park. He needed 77 pitches in his last start, so the Dominican native will be looking to turn in a more efficient start this time around.
For those who can't make it to Riley Park, catch the game on WTMA 1250 AM in the tri-county area, online streaming on the TuneIn Radio app and on MiLB.tv with a subscription. Fans can "Make Fun" with the RiverDogs all season long down at The Joe. Single-game tickets, including options to the Riley Park Club, are available at riverdogs.com/tickets or by contacting the RiverDogs front office at 843-577-3647 (DOGS). A full schedule and list of game times for the 2019 season is available at riverdogs.com.
--RIVERDOGS--