RiverDogs Pummel Pelicans 10-0 in Regular Season Home Finale

By: RiverDogs Media

The Charleston RiverDogs closed the home portion of their regular season slate in impressive fashion, hammering the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 10-0 on Sunday evening at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. The RiverDogs earned the series victory by winning three of the five games this week. The team’s next game at The Joe will be game one of the South Division Championship Series against Myrtle Beach on September 12. The final Sunday game of the campaign featured a stellar crowd of 5,807 in attendance. 

Six different pitchers combined to post the RiverDogs (38-21, 65-60) 10th shutout of the season. The starter, Santiago Suarez, went 4.0 innings, scattering just three hits. However, it was reliever Alex Ayala Jr. who earned the win by working the next 1.2 innings without allowing a runner to reach base. Matt Wyatt, Jackson Lancaster and Junior William combined to toss the next 2.2 innings without allowing a hit. Neraldo Catalina finished the game by recording the final two outs to leave the bases loaded in the ninth inning.

A big day for the offense began in the third inning when Angel Mateo beat out an infield single. 2023 first-round pick Brayden Taylor followed with a sinking line drive to right that evaded the diving attempt of right fielder Ismael Mena. The ball rolled all the way to the wall as Taylor circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run. Angel Mateo’s RBI single in the fourth inning pushed the lead to 3-0.

The game was blown wide open when the RiverDogs scored seven runs on six hits in the sixth inning, expanding the margin to 10-0. The frame began with a pair of one-out walks by reliever Luis Martinez-Gomez. Catcher Bryan Broecker pinch-hit with a two-RBI single that he chopped over the head of the shortstop. A single followed from Mateo and both runners scored on Taylor’s triple down the right field line that drove in two more. The Pelicans (32-27, 71-53) called on Scarlyn Lebron at that point to attempt to end the rally. Cooper Kinney made sure that didn’t happen with a line drive RBI double to right field. Finally, Colton Ledbetter put a stamp on the stanza with a booming two-run blast to right field for his first home run since joining the team. Charleston sent 12 batters to the plate in the inning.

Mateo led the RiverDogs 12-hit effort by going 3-4 at the plate. Taylor, Kinney and Ryan Spikes added two hits each. Taylor finished with four runs batted in.

Ballpark Fun
Following the game, the team gathered on the field as the winner of the 2023 Top Dog Award was announced. Infielder Cooper Kinney was named the recipient of the fan-voted award. The 20-year-old leads the Carolina League in hits and ranks among the circuit’s top 10 in RBI, doubles and total bases.

The RiverDogs will take Monday off before traveling to North Carolina to begin the final series of the regular season on Tuesday against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. RHP Jonny Cuevas (6-8, 5.06) is scheduled to take the mound in the opening contest for the RiverDogs. Fayetteville has yet to announce a starter for the 7:05 p.m. game at Segra Stadium.

Charleston 10, Myrtle Beach 0
September 3, 2023

Click here for the box score

Myrtle Beach (R-H-E): 0-4-0
Charleston (R-H-E): 10-12-0

Win: Ayala (2-5)
Loss: Valdez (2-3)
Save: 

HR: Myrtle Beach: None
HR: Charleston: Brayden Taylor (4, 3rd inning, 1 on base), Colton Ledbetter (1, 6th inning, 1 on base)

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