Sand Gnats Fall 4-1 Tuesday
Savannah, GA - A night removed from a 1-1 tie that ended the Gnats winning streak, the Savannah Sand Gnats fell to the Asheville Tourists on Tuesday. The Sand Gnats have won 19 of their last 22 games.
Asheville (34-22/66-60) used back-to-back singles from Omar Carrizales and Forrest Wall to score the game's first run in the bottom of the first. Wall came home on Shane Hoelscher's 28th double of the season. The Tourists tallied 11 hits on Gnats' starter Ricky Knapp (7-3). Knapp took the loss after tossing 5.0 innings allowing three runs and four strikeouts.
Savannah (36-18-1/75-49-1) scored their lone run in the top of the third after 2B Jonathan Johnson led off the inning with a single. Johnson moved to third on a fly ball from RF Wuilmer Becerra and came home on a passed ball by Dom Nunez.
Nunez doubled and scored in the fifth and seventh innings to give the Tourists the 4-1 final.
Gnats' reliever Alberto Baldonado added one inning of shutout work to bring his scoreless streak to 15 innings over 11 appearances.
The Sand Gnats and Asheville will continue their four game series tomorrow. The Gnats will send RHP Casey Delgado (7-3, 3.26) to the hill, while the Tourists will start LHP Helmis Rodriguez (8-7, 3.68). Savannah will return home on Saturday to take on the Augusta Green Jackets for six games in five days as part of the final regular season homestand for the Gnats. Saturday will feature fireworks and Gnate T. Gnat Appreciation Night with gates opening at 5pm and first pitch at 6:05pm.