The Hill City Howlers evened the series with the Charleston RiverDogs behind a strong offensive performance, winning 7-3 on Thursday.
Hill City dropped a total of ten hits in the contest. The RiverDogs did not go without their fair share of baserunners, as they walked a total of eight times, striking out just five.
Duari Fernandez continued his strong start to the series as he put a run on the board in the third inning. Fernandez hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Reiner Herrera.
The fifth inning saw the game swing heavily in the Howlers favor as they put a four-spot on the board. Juneiker Caceres blasted his ninth homer of the season, a three-run shot that carried well-beyond the right field wall. Later in the frame, Jose Pirela brought home one more with a groundout that scored Luis De La Cruz, giving Hill City the 5-0 advantage.
In the sixth, a wild pitch opened up the scoring in the frame as Riley Nelson scampered home to score. Caceres delivered again as a sacrifice fly drove home his fourth RBI of the ballgame, moving the lead to 7-0.
Charleston was kept off the board until the eighth inning, where they put a three-spot up. A groundout from Brody Donay scored the first before a double from Tom Poole brought home the second. J.D. Gonzalez added a third with a single to center before the Howlers got out of the inning.
A quick ninth slammed the door shut on Charleston, picking up just their fourth win of the second half.
The Howlers and RiverDogs square off in a doubleheader on Friday with game one starting at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at hchowlers.com.