If this is how you play after announcing your commitment to East Carolina University, then everyone for the Greenville Yard Gnomes (10-27) needs to follow Jack Herring’s lead and sign their letters of commitment right now.

After officially announcing his decision to wear the Purple and Gold for the next two seasons on Friday at noon, Herring (formerly of Rollins College) needed just three plate appearances one day later to thrill and excite the friendly crowd at Guy Smith Stadium in Greenville as his grand slam blast in the 4^thultimately proved to be the catalyst for the Yard Gnomes on their way to home victory number six of 2024.

Already the team leader in homers, Herring, an Atlanta, Georgia native who has quickly achieved exalted status in Pitt County this summer, added his sixth big fly of the season on Saturday night which came in response to a Wilson (21-16) grand slam in the road half of the 4^th when AJ Jones (NC A&T, 1-4) hit his first homerun of the summer with the bases loaded.

Greenville led 3-0 after three frames after JC Vanek (Chipola College, 2-3, three RBI) cleared the bases with a double in the home 3^rd, his first extra base hit since debuting with Greenville on July 6^th.

Wilson grabbed a 4-3 lead on the strength of Jones’ homer but the Yard Gnomes started the 4^thefficiently on the strength of a Maddox Miesse (Abilene Christian, 1-3, walk) single to left field which was followed by a Cason Eubanks (Troy University) walk to put runners at first and second with no outs to kickstart the eventual comeback inning.

Moments later, Gage Griggs (John A. Logan College) hit a sacrifice fly to right field which plated Miesse to tie the game at four runs apiece and that would set the stage for the biggest moment of the night for Greenville as Herring capped a headline-making week with his grand slam.

The combined nine-run 4th would ultimately be the last inning of scoring on Saturday in a game that was 8-4 after four frames and stayed that way the rest of the night.

LHP Hayden Johnson (Coastal Carolina) set the tone defensively for Greenville as the southpaw from Myrtle Beach started for the Yard Gnomes on the mound and only gave up three base hits prior to the Jones homer in the 4^th. Showing off his bounce-back ability, Johnson struck out Jerry Barnes (William & Mary) following the grand slam and went 1-2-3 in the 5^th while bookending the frame with a strikeout to start on Chris Amparo (Delaware State, 1-3) and one to finish against Alex Bouche (East Carolina).

After starting the summer 0-2, Johnson got the win against Wilson and finished with a final line of five innings pitched which included four earned runs, four hits, two walks and a season-best six strikeouts. Saturday’s five innings also constituted Johnson’s longest appearance of 2024.

Greenville only needed two arms to complete the game as it was another lefty in the form of Riley Marcotte (Louisiana Lafayette) who, when paired with Johnson, made for a refreshingly stress-free night for the Yard Gnomes’ pitching staff. 

Marcotte wasn’t heavy on the strikeouts like Johnson was but it did not matter when everything shook out in the end as the Loreauville, Louisiana native only gave up one base hit and one walk over the final four innings on his way to grabbing the save, his first such decision of the season.

Aden Howard (University of San Diego), who saw a 10-game hitting streak snapped on Wednesday (July 10^th) against Tri-City (13-21), bounced back in the biggest way possible against Wilson on Saturday as he went 2-4 in the win while plating twice. Howard was 0-5 with five strikeouts the night prior at Wilmington (23-15) so Saturday night’s multi-hit affair was a return to form for the Texan.

Cole Robinson (Missouri Baptist) went 2-4 for Wilson and finished as the only Tob to register multiple base knocks in the loss. Wilson has now dropped eight of their last nine games.

RHP Brady Pacha (Pittsburg State) took the loss for Wilson as he fell to 0-2 on the summer. The Kansan logged two innings on the night while surrendering three earned runs and two hits. Pacha also walked a trio and struck out a pair.

Greenville will wrap up the weekend homestand on Sunday as they host the Morehead City Marlins (18-17) from Guy Smith Stadium with a first pitch time of 5:05 PM scheduled. Meeting number nine of the season between the Marlins and the Yard Gnomes will also be “NASCAR Night” at the ballpark as the Cook Out Southern 500 trophy plus a real stock car will be on display as Greenville and Darlington Raceway combine for a special promotion. 

Notes: Total game time was three hours and three minutes.