Greenville, N.C. – The Greenville Yard Gnomes pulled off a thrilling walk-off win over the Peninsula Pilots on Sunday night, edging out a 13-12 victory in a back-and-forth slugfest at Guy Smith Stadium. Danny Ramirez delivered the game-winning hit, a sharp single down the right field line that scored Brody Gardner and sealed the win for Greenville.
Greenville (6-13) opened the scoring in the first inning when Jacob Green came home on a putout. Jon Howard followed by driving in Gardner, and Josh Green made an instant impact in his Yard Gnomes debut, plating Jesse Ponce and Howard with a two-run single.
Peninsula (11-7) got on the board in the second, as Cole Stanford scored on a putout to make it 4-1.
The Gnomes extended their lead in the bottom of the frame. Howard singled to left to bring in Ponce, Ramirez drove home Corey Berry with a single to right, and Josh Mason added another RBI with a base hit that plated Howard. Greenville led 7-1 after two innings.
In the fifth, the Gnomes pushed the lead to 9-1. Green singled in Dario Astudillo, and Ponce followed with a high chopper over the second baseman’s head to score Green.
But the Pilots stormed back with eight runs across the sixth and seventh innings. Curry Sutherland ignited the rally with a three-run homer. In the seventh, Grayson Fitzwater plated Kazuya Jordan and Carlos Pena with a single before Stanford crushed another three-run home run to tie the game at 9-9.
Greenville responded in the bottom of the seventh. Green ripped a double down the right field line to score Astudillo and Tate Dickinson, then came home himself on a sacrifice fly from Gardner, giving the Gnomes a 12-9 lead.
Peninsula refused to go quietly. Cole Rail scored on a passed ball, Jordan crossed the plate on a Greenville error, and Scotty Young tied the game at 12-12 with an RBI single from Jose Martinez.
With the game deadlocked in the ninth, the Gnomes loaded the bases with one out. Ramirez stepped up and delivered the clutch hit, driving in Gardner and sending Greenville home with a wild 13-12 walk-off victory.
Brian Garmon earned the win for the Yard Gnomes, striking out two and allowing just one hit in 0.2 innings. Ethan Blakeney took the loss for the Pilots, giving up one run on three balls in just a third of an inning.
Up Next: The Yard Gnomes get a short break before returning to action on Thursday as they travel to Wilson to take on the Tobs. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.