De Leon’s double lifts RiverDogs by BlueClaws

Some late-game heroics by Kelvin De Leon propelled the Charleston RiverDogs (17-7) to a 5-3 win over Lakewood (9-15) in South Atlantic League action Wednesday night at Riley Park.

With the game tied at 3 in the bottom of the eighth, De Leon lined a two-run double into right field that gave the RiverDogs the lead for good.

The rally was set up by a leadoff double by Tyler Austin and a two out walk to Ben Gamel. Pedro Guerra pitched two innings, including a scoreless eighth, to get the win and Philip Wetherell pitched the ninth inning and picked up his team-high fourth save.

The RiverDogs opened the game’s scoring in the fourth inning when Austin led off the frame with a walk and scored when Gary Sanchez followed with an RBI double to right. Sanchez advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on De Leon’s sacrifice fly to give the hosts a 2-0 advantage.

Lakewood tied the game in the fifth when, after a pair of leadoff singles, the BlueClaws loaded the bases for Bob Stumpo, who singled to knock in two runs. Charleston re-took the lead in the bottom half when Angelo Gumbs walked to start the inning, stole second, moved to third on a balk and scored on a wild pitch. The game was tied up again by the BlueClaws in the seventh, when Aaron Altherr doubled and was singled in by Stumpo.

Ballpark fun
The homestand began with the lone Bulldogs-RiverDogs doubleheader as The Citadel played earlier in the afternoon and defeated North Florida, 5-1, before turning The Joe over to the RiverDogs.

Seniors got tickets for $5 each and a voucher for a free hot dog, soda and chips.

Coming up
Recognizing that local colleges are going through final exams, the RiverDogs game today at 7 p.m. that features final exam-themed promotions.

Will Oliver (1-2, 3.86 ERA) will get the start for the RiverDogs today, while the BlueClaws will counter with Colin Kleven (1-2, 5.03 ERA).

Tickets for the South Atlantic League All-Star Game are on sale and can be purchased at the RiverDogs box office, by calling 843-723-7241 or by visiting RiverDogs.com.