Petersburg, Va. – The Greenville Yard Gnomes split a doubleheader with the Tri-City Chili Peppers on Wednesday night at Shepherd Stadium, taking the first game 15-9 before falling in the nightcap 13-2.
Game One: Gnomes Power Past Peppers, 15-9
Tri-City opened the scoring in the first with a solo home run by Julio Vasquez. Greenville quickly responded in the bottom half when Joe Siervo scored on a putout, followed by a two-run homer from Nick Palmi to give the Gnomes a 3-1 lead.
After Jack Wilson’s solo shot cut into the lead in the second, the Gnomes erupted for four more runs. Charlie Kapp launched a solo homer before Michael Kalinich crushed a three-run blast, putting Greenville up 7-2.
Tri-City added a run in the third on a Macho Santiago RBI single, but Greenville kept the offense rolling. David Lillis scored on a sacrifice fly, Luke Miller came home on a Landry Stamps double, and Stamps later scored on a wild pitch to make it 10-3.
The Chili Peppers clawed back with four runs in the fourth, capped by Wilson’s second home run of the game and Vasquez scoring on a fly out to trim the deficit to 10-7.
Greenville shut the door in the fifth with another offensive outburst. Stamps blasted a three-run homer, and Jesse Ponce followed with a two-run shot to extend the lead to 15-7.
Tri-City managed two more runs late, but the Gnomes held on.
Jack Gazadacka earned the win for Greenville in relief. Riley Campbell took the loss for Tri-City, allowing 10 runs (three earned) over four innings.
Game Two: Chili Peppers Roll in Nightcap, 13-2
Greenville struck first in game two when Mason Hobbs launched a two-run homer in the second, plating himself and Cam Rickabaugh.
Tri-City responded in the third with a five-run frame. Jack Wilson scored on a bases-loaded walk, Logan Janney doubled home two runs, and the Peppers added two more via a hit-by-pitch and a fielder’s choice to take a 5-2 lead.
Macho Santiago added a two-run homer in the fourth, and Tri-City exploded for six more runs in the sixth to put the game out of reach.
Justin Spiegel earned the win for the Chili Peppers, allowing just two runs (one earned) with eight strikeouts across four innings. Braxton Vackar took the loss for the Gnomes, surrendering four earned runs in 2.1 innings.
Up Next: The Yard Gnomes return to Guy Smith Stadium on Thursday night for their 2025 home finale against the Wilmington Sharks. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.