The Charleston RiverDogs had to be feeling a little disheartened when they took the lead in the top of the seventh, only to see the Greenville Drive tie the score in the bottom half of the inning. However, Estevan Florial hit his ninth homer of the season in the top of the eighth to put Charleston back on top, and David Sosebee tossed two scoreless innings to preserve the victory as the RiverDogs won 4-3.

This was a great pitchers’ duel early on. Kyle Hart started for Greenville and found himself in trouble in the first. He allowed a one out base hit to Angel Aguilar before an error made it first and second with two down. Florial lined a single into center and Blake Rutherford, who had replaced Aguilar on the base paths on a fielder’s choice, tried to score but a great throw from Lorenzo Cedrola to the plate nailed Rutherford to end the threat. Hart then retired the next 12-hitters.

Nick Green was looking nearly as invincible for Charleston. He set down the Drive in order in the first, then gave up a leadoff double to start the second, before striking out two of the three batters he retired in the inning to end any threat. Greenville loaded the bases in the third, but Green got Tyler Hill to fly out to end the inning, then got out of a jam in the fourth when he got another fly out to end the threat.

The game was scoreless through the fifth inning, but the Greenville Drive took the lead in the sixth. With Mike Frawley on the mound, Hill singled to start the inning and he moved to second when Ryan Scott reached on an error. A base hit by Roldani Baldwin loaded the bases, and there was no one out. Frawley struck out Tyler Spoon before walking Mitchell Gunsolus. That drove in a run to make it 1-0.

Hart came out after six, and the RiverDogs took advantage of his departure right away. Florial walked to start the seventh and Ben Ruta singled two batters later. Diego Castillo struck out for the second out, but a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. That brought Keith Skinner to the plate, who lined a single into right field bringing both Florial and Ruta home. Hoy Jun Park then lined a triple to the wall in center, bringing Skinner all the way around from first and it was 3-1 Charleston.

The lead did not last long. In the bottom of the seventh, Lorenzo Cedrola singled to start the inning, and Santiago Espinal followed by drilling his second homer of the season over the left-center field wall to tie the score at three.

The Charleston RiverDogs would do some responding of their own in the top of the eighth. Harrison Cooney struck out the first two batters of the inning, but Florial was having none of that. He ripped a fastball from the Drive reliever over the right field fence for his ninth homer of the year, and the RiverDogs were back on top.

David Sosebee came in the eighth for Charleston and gave up a two out single before retiring the side. In the ninth, he would retire the side in order to end the game for his second save of the season.

Estevan Florial finished the game 2-3 with 2-runs and an RBI for Charleston. Hoy Jun Park also had 2-hits and he drove in a run. Lorenzo Cedrola and Roldani Baldwin were both 3-5 for Greenville. Santiago Espinal had 2-hits, 2-RBI and a run scored.

After winning the first two games of this series, the RiverDogs will look to ensure a series victory when they send Brian Keller (5-5, 3.64) to the mound against Robby Sexton (2-6, 4.59) tomorrow. Game time is set for 7:05.

Boxscore

By Robert Pannier