Greenville, N.C. – The Greenville Yard Gnomes secured a milestone victory on Saturday night, holding off the Morehead City Marlins for a 6-4 win at Guy Smith Stadium. With the result, the Gnomes (13-21) set a new single-season franchise record for wins.
Braiden Eagen anchored Greenville on the mound, tossing 5.1 innings while allowing just three earned runs and striking out four to earn the victory.
The Gnomes struck early, plating three runs in the bottom of the first. Jesse Ponce opened the scoring with an RBI single to bring home Corey Berry. Nick Palmi followed with a single of his own to score Ponce, and Danny Ramirez capped the frame by scoring on a groundout.
Morehead City (20-17) responded in the second inning. Jaden Greenridge scored on a bases-loaded walk, and Ronan Donohue came home on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Greenville extended the lead with a three-run fifth inning. Berry scored on a wild pitch, followed by a Ramirez RBI double to deep center plating Ponce. Ramirez later crossed home on a catching error to give the Gnomes a 6-2 advantage.
The Marlins made things interesting late, adding a run in the sixth on a DJ Pacheco RBI single and another in the seventh when Connor Larson scored on a wild pitch, trimming the lead to 6-4.
But closer Maddox Jones shut the door in the ninth, working out of a bases-loaded jam with a strikeout to seal the record-setting victory.
Final Line:
- W: Braiden Eagen (5.1 IP, 4 K, 3 ER)
- L: Reid Bertram (4.1 IP, 4 ER, 5 H)
- S: Maddox Jones (1.0 IP, 1 K, 0 ER)
Notables:
- Most wins in a single season (13)
- Most team stolen bases in a season (112)
- Most home runs in a season (28)
Up Next: The Yard Gnomes return to action on Sunday night at home against the Peninsula Pilots. First pitch is set for 5:00 p.m.