Sports
Seymour Slugs RiverDogs to 11-7 Win; Dogs Remain in First Place Tie
By: RiverDogs Media
Bobby Seymour continued his torrid month of June by driving in four runs in the Charleston RiverDogs 11-7 takedown of the Salem Red Sox on Friday night. The team is now 10-0 on Friday nights after earning the victory in front of 4,280 boisterous fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr Park. The RiverDogs remain tied with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans for first place in the Carolina League South Division with 11 games remaining in the first half.
For a second straight night, it was Salem (28-27) that jumped in front early. The game began with singles by Edinnson Paulino and Brainer Bonaci. Marcelo Mayer and Nathan Hickey followed with groundouts to the right side, forcing the first run in. Before the frame ended, Niko Kavadas added an RBI single and Karson Simas drove in a run with a ground-rule double over the left field wall. RiverDogs starter JJ Goss settled in after that and allowed three runs on five hits in 4.0 innings of work.
The RiverDogs (39-17) managed to tie the game within two innings of play. Seymour put them on the board with an RBI single in the bottom of the first. In the second, Oneill Manzueta walked and came around to score on a single by Nathan Perry that was followed by a fielding error on right fielder Darel Belen. Perry was thrown out at the plate on a single by Jelfry Marte for the first out of the frame, but Mason Auer hit a chopper back to the mound that was mishandled by Juan Daniel Encarnacion to tie the score.
With the bases loaded in the fourth inning, Seymour cleared the bases with his 12th double of the campaign to push the RiverDogs in front 6-3. The Red Sox trimmed the deficit by scoring single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, but missed out on an opportunity for further damage by leaving a combined five men on base in the two frames.
The game tipped heavily in the home team’s favor beginning with a three-run sixth. Auer followed a leadoff walk by Marte with an RBI triple to make it 7-5. He scored moments later by breaking to the plate on a pitch in the dirt from Graham Hoffman. Later in the frame, Seymour walked and went to second on an errant pick-off throw. Nick Schnell brought him in with a single that advanced the lead to 9-5. Another RBI single from Schnell and a run-scoring double from Nathan Perry led to an 11-5 advantage heading to the ninth.
Salem scored a pair of runs in the final frame off of reliever Neraldo Catalina. Over Galue improved to 5-0 on the season with 3.0 innings on the mound in which he allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits. Catalina finished the game by tossing 2.0 innings. the right-hander surrendered the two runs on three hits and three walks.
Seymour finished the night 2-3 with a double, two walks and four runs batted in. Auer’s triple was his ninth of the season, a total that leads Minor League Baseball. He also drove in two runs, collected three stolen bases and scored three runs. Schnell and Perry added two hits each as part of the team’s eight-hit attack. The Red Sox were paced by Paulino’s 3-6 night at the plate with two RBI.
Ballpark Fun
Prior to the first pitch of the contest, fans in attendance witnessed the reenlistment ceremonies for both D’Ebony Wilson and Cody Thompson of the United States Navy. Each of them followed the ceremony by throwing a ceremonial first pitch. Congresswoman Nancy Mace, a Goose Creek native, also threw out a first pitch before the contest.
The RiverDogs will aim to extend their winning streak to six games on Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. LHP Antonio Jimenez (2-3, 4.31) will get the start for the RiverDogs with RHP Hunter Dobbins (0-0, 6.00) countering for the Red Sox. The game will mark the beginning of Larry Doby Weekend presented by MUSC Health. Gates will open for a charity softball game at 4:00 p.m. that features prominent black business owners from around the Lowcountry. In addition, the RiverDogs and Red Sox will wear Negro League jerseys for the game.
Single-game tickets are available for all RiverDogs home games at riverdogs.com. RiverDogs season tickets, flexible ticket plans, and group tickets, including options to the Segra Club at Riley Park, are available at riverdogs.com/tickets or by contacting the RiverDogs front office at 843-577-3647 (DOGS).