Arbiso, R'Dogs shut down Drive

For the third consecutive game, the Charleston RiverDogs took a 3-0 lead over the Greenville Drive.

For once, they didn't blow it.

Charleston (4-4) shut out the Drive, 3-0, on Thursday night in front of a Riley Park crowd of 5,506, thanks to outstanding pitching that was noticeably absent in the first two games of the series.

"It all starts on the mound," said RiverDogsn manager Torre Tyson. "Cory Arbiso (Charleston's starter) came out and gave us a great effort. He showed me something there."

After losing 13-4 and 10-5 in the first two games of the four-game series with Greenville (3-4), Charleston restored order on the mound in game three.

Arbiso (2-5), recently returned from short-season Class A Staten Island, turned in his longest outing of the season, pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and no walks to go with four strikeouts. He retired the last 12 batters he faced.

The RiverDogs had hoped to get four or five innings tops out of Arbiso, who normally comes out of the bullpen.

"That was a big sigh of relief," pitching coach Jeff Ware said of Thursday's pitching effort. "Cory doesn't have an overpowering fastball, but he has command. Maybe some of the guys who throw hard can learn something. For him to get to the sixth inning was a big lift."

Brad Rulon supplied two innings of no-hit relief for the RiverDogs and Jonathan Ortiz closed it out.

"We're close to getting some guys back into situations they should fit into," Tyson said. "It would be nice tomorrow if our starter could go seven innings and it would put everybody back where they're supposed to be."

The RiverDogs scored a run in the first on Melky Mesa's run-scoring groundout and went ahead 3-0 in the second on Jose Pirela's two-run double to left.

Ballpark fun

During the seventh inning, the RiverDogs held a dugout singalong, featuring Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" and Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York."

Coming up

The RiverDogs and the Drive conclude their four-game series at 6:35 tonight. Gates open at 5 p.m. David Phelps (8-2, 3.03 ERA) is the expected starting pitcher for the RiverDogs, while Caleb Clay (3-3, 3.29 ERA) is the projected starter for the Drive. The season's biggest fireworks display is scheduled, and the few tickets remaining are standing room only.

E—Joseph. LOB—Greenville 5, Charleston 6. 2B—Stanley, Pirela, Abeita. SB—Dening, Joseph, Kruml. CS—Tejeda.

WP—Hagadone.

Time—2:41. Att—5,506.