Greenville, N.C. – The Yard Gnomes cruised to a 9-1 victory over the Tri-City Chili Peppers in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader. Danny Ramirez led the charge offensively, driving in six runs—including a grand slam—while Jacob Boland dominated on the mound, allowing just one unearned run over seven innings with eight strikeouts.
Greenville (12-20) opened the scoring in the bottom of the first as Ramirez brought home Brody Gardner with a single up the middle.
Luke Miller doubled the lead in the second, launching a solo home run to right-center to make it 2-0.
Tri-City (11-22) got on the board in the fifth when former Gnome Collin Hughes scored on an error by the first baseman, trimming the deficit to 2-1.
The Gnomes answered right back in the bottom half. Ramirez roped an RBI double down the right field line to score Gardner, and Michael Kalinich followed with a looping single to center to bring in Ramirez, extending the lead to 4-1.
Greenville added another run in the sixth when Gardner’s double to right plated Josh Mason, pushing the lead to 5-1.
Ramirez broke the game wide open in the seventh, blasting a grand slam to right-center to put the Gnomes firmly in control at 9-1.
Boland earned the win for Greenville with a stellar performance, tossing seven innings of one-run ball (unearned) while striking out eight. Roberto Velasquez took the loss for Tri-City, surrendering two earned runs over six innings.
Up Next: The Yard Gnomes hit the road to face the Morehead City Marlins Friday night at Big Rock Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.