KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — The Charleston RiverDogs secured a 6-4 victory over the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers on Friday night, thanks to a stellar performance by pitcher Andres Galan and a hot start from the offense. Galan pitched seven perfect innings, striking out five batters and only needing 74 pitches to silence the opposition.
A Hot Start for Charleston’s Offense
After a scoreless first inning, the RiverDogs came out firing in the second. Ricardo Gonzalez kicked off the rally with a single, and Narciso Polanco followed with an RBI single to bring him home. With the bases loaded, Nathan Flewelling stepped up to the plate and delivered a double off the center field wall, clearing the bases and giving Charleston a 4-0 lead. To add to the offensive onslaught, Angel Mateo crushed a home run on the first pitch of his at-bat, extending the RiverDogs’ lead to 6-0.
Kannapolis starter Ricardo Brizuela struggled through just 1.1 innings, throwing 50 pitches, and was pulled from the game. The Cannon Ballers’ bullpen held strong after that, preventing further runs from Charleston for the rest of the game.
Galan’s Perfect Performance
Andres Galan, the 2024 17th-round pick for the RiverDogs, was dominant on the mound, tossing seven perfect innings. He struck out five batters and kept the Cannon Ballers off balance with his sharp pitches. Galan improved to 4-0 on the season with an impressive 1.86 ERA and 0.90 WHIP. His perfect game bid was broken up in the eighth inning, but not before he had firmly established his dominance.
Late Game Drama
In the eighth inning, Ryan Schiefer replaced Galan and gave up a leadoff double that ended the perfect game. Kannapolis made some noise, scoring two runs to cut Charleston’s lead to 6-2. In the ninth, with Janzen Keisel on the mound for the RiverDogs, the Cannon Ballers mounted a small rally. Keisel walked two batters and hit another, loading the bases with two outs. But Nathan Archer of Kannapolis lined a two-run single to right field, trimming the RiverDogs’ lead to 6-4.
With the pressure mounting, Andy Rodriguez came in for Charleston and shut down the rally, securing the win for the RiverDogs.
Looking Ahead
Charleston will face Kannapolis again on Saturday, with the first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. The RiverDogs will return to The Joe on Tuesday for a nine-game homestand, where they will look to build on this victory and continue their strong season.
