By WRBL Staff
RiverDogs Media Relations
Charleston, SC - Brandon Laird drove home three runs in consecutive plate appearances and paced the Charleston RiverDogs to an 8-3 victory over the Columbus Catfish in South Atlantic League action Sunday afternoon in front of 3,729 fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.RiverDogs Media Relations
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Stumble It!With the victory, the first-place RiverDogs salvage a split in the four-game series and improve to 19-5 on the season while the Catfish slip to 11-13. The eight runs scored gives Charleston 142 on the season, the most in the SAL.
Laird had only one of the RiverDogs’ eight hits but drove home a run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and a pair of runs with a double in the fifth.
Charleston scored first for the only time in the series, plating a run in the third inning against Columbus starter Josh Johnson (1-3). Austin Krum drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a groundout and scored when Justin Snyder grounded out to shortstop.
The RiverDogs extended the lead to 4-0 next time at bat, scoring three runs in the fourth to knock Johnson from the game. Jesus Montero, hitting safely for the 22nd time in 24 games this season, doubled to start the inning, then moved to third on Wady Rufino’s single and scored on Laird’s sacrifice fly to center.
Carmen Angelini then singled and Taylor Holiday drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Krum was then hit by a pitch to drive home Rufino, and Abraham Almonte walked to plate Angelini, Johnson’s fifth walk of the outing.
Columbus came back within a run in the fifth by scoring three unearned runs. With one out, Shawn Williams doubled against Charleston starter Adam Olbrychowski (1-2), and he moved to third when Omar Luna reached on a fielding error by Krum in right field.
Emeel Salem singled home Williams to make the score 4-1, and on the play Luna scored when Almonte’s throw from center field accidentally nailed Charleston shortstop Angelini in the back of the head and caromed out of play. Angelini had to leave the game following the blow.
The next batter Maiko Loyola grounded out to shortstop, scoring Salem from third and making the score 4-3.
Entering the fifth frame up only one run, Charleston added three more as Laird doubled down the left field line against reliever John Baird to plate two runs. Holiday later drove an RBI single to right center to score Laird and make the score 7-3.
The RiverDogs added their eighth run of the game in the sixth when Almonte singled, stole second base, and as he was stealing third, Catfish catcher Mike McCormick overthrew third base and Almonte trotted home.
Charleston received good pitching from starter Olbrychowski, who went five complete innings and allowed three runs (none earned) on three hits three walks. Defensively, the RiverDogs recorded two errors, giving them 11 in the four-game series.
Almonte had two hits in the game as did Rufino to pace Charleston. The Catfish, which had only four knocks on the afternoon, had no player record more than one hit.
Johnson took the loss as he threw 3.1 innings and allowed four runs on three hits while walking five
