Gnats 5, Jackets 4

Augusta, GA - The Augusta GreenJackets lost two leads, and eventually a 5-4 game on Sunday to the Savannah Sand Gnats as the Gnats salvaged a four-game series split with the GreenJackets for the second straight weekend. In both this week's series and last week's, the GreenJackets won the first two against Savannah before the Gnats rallied to win back-to-back games to get the split.

Savannah grabbed the first lead for the fourth day in a row, this time with a pair in the second inning. Travis Taijeron's RBI double put the Gnats on the board while Aderlin Rodriguez brought home another with an RBI groundout to push the lead to 2-0. The GreenJackets cut that lead in half in the bottom of the inning on a Ben Thomas RBI single.

In the third, Mark Minicozzi's two-run double gave the GreenJackets a 3-2 advantage they'd hold for much of the afternoon. Edwin Escobar gave the GreenJackets his longest start of the year, pitching into the seventh for the first time all year, before he ran into trouble. With two outs and a man on second, Escobar issued back-to-back walks to load the bases for Rodriguez. After Escobar departed, Rodriguez tied the game at three with an RBI single to left. Paul Davis then struck out the next hitter to get out of the jam.

Escobar scattered three runs on eight hits in 6.2 innings, walking four and striking out five in the no decision.

The GreenJackets rallied in the eighth to take a second lead on Brett Krill's RBI single to left that scored Elliott Blair. However, Thomas was thrown out at the plate by Savannah left fielder Dustin Lawley to end the inning and the Augusta lead remained at 4-3. The play at the plate loomed large the next inning as the Sand Gnats picked up a pair of runs off Davis (2-2) to take a 5-4 lead. With two outs, Albert Cordero singled home a run to tie the game at four and Greg Pron followed by delivering the go-ahead single to right.

In the bottom of the ninth, the GreenJackets mounted a rally. They had runners at first and second with one out on a pair of walks by Savannah reliever Jared West. Closer TJ Chism came on to get the game's final two outs and pick up his eighth save of the year. Chism has now saved Savannah's last four wins over the GreenJackets. Chasen Bradford (2-0) earned the win for the Gnats, allowing a run on two hits and two walks in two innings

from team press release