Howlers Walked Off After Ninth Inning Comeback

The Hill City Howlers (18-33) dropped another thriller 3-2 at the hands of Charleston (29-23).

Friday’s ninth inning felt like a repeat of Thursday’s 10th-inning finish. Hill City failed to grab a lead in each inning and the RiverDogs walked each game off with a runner on second, this time off a Taitn Gray RBI double.

The one-run loss spoiled a fantastic outing by Erigaldi Perez. He posted one of his best starts, going six innings of one-run ball while striking out five and only walking two. Keegan Zinn held things together as well with two innings of one-run ball in relief but it wasn’t enough.

The first score of the game came late, all the way in the fifth inning. It came on a balk, one of Erigaldi Perez’s only blunders, which scored Charleston outfielder Jack Lines.

The Howlers tied the game in the sixth when Alejandro Blasco singled home Yerlin Luis as part of a two-hit evening for the center fielder.

Jack Lines didn’t need Hill City’s help to make an impact in the seventh when he brought Alberth Palma home on a single to take the lead back.

Unlike Thursday’s game, the Howlers showed life in the final inning. Jhorvic Abreus grabbed the only extra-base hit of the night for the team on an RBI double to tie things up in the top of the ninth.

Like clockwork, Alberth Palma hit a two-out double in the bottom of the ninth, and two pitches later, Taitn Gray doubled him home to win the game.

The Howlers and RiverDogs move on to game five of the series tomorrow in Charleston. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 EST and the stream can be found on Bally Live.