Guanipa’s Big Fly Lifts Jackets Past Woodpeckers

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Guanipa’s Big Fly Lifts Jackets Past Woodpeckers

Dramatic Blast Caps Comeback Bid in Third Straight Win

NORTH AUGUSTA, SC: Luis Guanipa’s first home run of the season came in an emphatic fashion, with a go-ahead blast that cleared the apartment building behind left field to drag the GreenJackets to a 6-5 win over Fayetteville Wednesday night.

Guanipa’s early-season surge has been a brilliant one, as he has hit safely in eight of nine games to start the year and now has 8 RBIs to lead the team. Still at just 20 years old, Guanipa has taken advantage of a fully healthy offseason and has looked not just stronger, but much more confident in the 2026 season.

A comeback was needed because of the consistent barrage from the Fayetteville offense, who scored in four of six innings against starter Derek Vartanian as they looked to even the series. The Woodpeckers got on the board right off the bat, using a two-out double from Nick Monistere and subsequent base hit from Josh Wakefield to score first. Fayetteville would double the lead one inning later, as Camilo Diaz hit a laser beam of a homer over the wall in left-center for his second bomb of the season.

Augusta was unable to solve starter Nick Potter in the first three innings, and Fayetteville took advantage of the lack of resistance to double the lead once more in the 4^th. It was Diaz again, this time going the opposite way for a two-run blast and his first career multi-homer game.

Potter was pulled after three innings, and the Jackets took advantage of the change with a rude greeting for Kellen Oakes in relief. Junior Garcia doubled to start the inning, and took third on a base hit from Dallas Macias. Garcia charged home on a wild pitch, and after a one-out walk, Dalton McIntyre made an impression in his GreenJackets debut via a two-run double to bring Augusta within a run.

Vartanian held the Woodpeckers off the board in the 5^th, but ran into trouble in the 6^th despite picking up his career-high 8^th strikeout. Anthony Huezo whacked a leadoff single, and Vartanian’s night was done after 5.1 innings. Cristobal Abreu came in relief, and was unable to strand Huezo, who stole second and third before sprinting home to double the lead on a wild pitch.

It was the bottom of that same 6^th inning that led to Guanipa’s heroic turn, with Augusta using a couple gifts from Fayetteville to set the stage. Augusta used two walks and an error to put a pair of men on with two outs, bringing Guanipa to the plate as the tying run. He wasted no time at the dish, turning on a hanging slider from Jackson Wells and obliterating it out of the stadium and out towards the highway to give Augusta its first lead.

The GreenJackets were unable to add to their advantage late, and Logan Forsythe was tasked with maintaining the slim advantage for a nine-out save. Forsythe cruised through the 7^th and 8^th innings, but found the 27^th out difficult to obtain, as an infield single and two walks loaded the bases with two down in the 9^th. Fayetteville has Wakefield at the plate with the tying run 90 feet away, but Forsythe was able to right the ship at the last possible moment, inducing a popup that ended the game and gave Augusta its third straight win.

The GreenJackets now have a winning record for the first time this year, and have won three in a row including both against the Woodpeckers. A win tomorrow night would guarantee at minimum a series split, and Augusta will entrust starting duties to Landon Beidelschies at 7:05 PM.

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