Savannah Wins Second Straight Over RiverDogs - Live5News.com | Charleston, SC | News, Weather, Sports

The Savannah Sand Gnats topped the Charleston RiverDogs 4-3 on Tuesday night in front of 2,562 at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. It was the second straight close win for Savannah (24-13) over the RiverDogs (24-12), and brings them within half a game of first place Charleston in the South Atlantic League Southern Division. 

The Sand Gnats secured the victory in the bottom of the ninth inning when Mason Williams was called out at first base on a very close play to end the game with the tying run on its way home to score. Charleston had scored two runs in the inning to pull within one, but just couldn't pull it out, suffering their second difficult loss in two nights. Savannah pitcher T.J. Chism, who just beat Williams to first for the final out of the game, picked up his third save of the season. 

Savannah got what proved to be the winning runs of the game in the top of the ninth when they scored twice to extend their lead to 4-1. After a lead-off single by Aderlin Rodriguez (2-4, 2 runs), with one out, Gregory Pron hit what appeared to be a perfect double play ball to second base. Unfortunately for the RiverDogs, the ball hit the base umpire, making it a dead ball and making both runners safe at their respective bases. Later in the inning, a double by Brandon Brown (1-4, 3 RBIs) scored both Rodriguez and Pron to make it 4-1.

The Sand Gnats first took the lead in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly by Brown, which scored Rodriguez to put them up 2-1 against Charleston's starter Brett Gerritse (0-1). Gerritse left after allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts over 4.2 innings pitched. Savannah scored their first run in the inning prior when Dustin Lawley hit a solo homer over the left field wall.

The RiverDogs scored the game's first run in the third inning when Kelvin De Leon walked, moved to third on an error, and scored on a single by Cito Culver (1-3, RBI). That was the only run they got off of Sand Gnats' starter Jacob DeGrom (1-0), who allowed 2 hits and that one unearned run with one walk and one strikeout.