Lex Legends
The Charleston RiverDogs scored all seven of their runs in the sixth inning and went on to a 7-4 win over the Lexington Legends Thursday night in front of 5,038 fans at Whitaker Bank Ballpark.
A two-run homer by Emmanuel Rivera and a run-scoring single by Meibrys Viloria gave the Legends a 3-0 lead after one inning.
The Legends added a run in the third. Khalil Lee led off with an infield hit and moved to third on an errant pickoff attempt by catcher Eduardo Navas. Lee scored on a ground out by Rivera.
The score remained 4-0 until the top of the sixth, when the RiverDogs sent 12 batters to the plate. Don Thompson-Williams led off with a bunt single. Singles by Diego Castillo and Dalton Blaser loaded the bases. Isiah Gilliam walked, forcing in a run. Steven Sensley’s single brought home another run, and a double by Oswaldo Cabrera scored two more, tying the game at 4-4. Chris Hess was hit by a pitch, leaving runners at first and third. Navas’ sacrifice fly scored Sensley with the go-ahead run. Vince Conde struck out, and Thompson-Williams popped up, but second baseman Gabriel Cancel was unable to see the ball, which dropped in short right field for a hit. Cabrera scored on the play, and Hess moved to third, from where he scored the seventh run of the inning, and the final run of the game, on a single by Castillo.
Charleston starter Rony Garcia (1-2) pitched six innings and got the win. Reliever Phillip Diehl was perfect through the seventh and eighth. David Sosebee gave up two hits in the ninth, but did not allow a run and picked up his 11th save of the season.
Travis Eckert (4-8), who relieved Legends starter Gerson Garabito in the fifth inning, was the losing pitcher. Garabito blanked the RiverDogs on three htis through the first four and two-thirds innings.
Game two of the four-game series will be played Friday night at 7:05 p.m.