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Dominant, but drenched

• Game 1 of the Peanuts vs. Juice doubleheader at Paul Eames only makes it six innings – a 2-0 South Gerogia victory – before Game 2 is canceled because of severe weather.

Paul Dehner Jr.

ALBANY — One night after being rained out, the precipitation which poured down on Paul Eames Stadium cut short the first game and postponed the second of a doubleheader against the Bradenton Juice on Wednesday.

But it didn’t wash away the bottom line for the South Georgia Peanuts.

The Peanuts may have only lasted six innings, but for the second consecutive contest, their pitching staff tossed an impressive two-hit shutout.

Though it doesn’t supply the sparkle of the nine-inning version that occurred Monday, the combination Wednesday of Mike Colacchio and Jake Upwood still delivered a fourth win in a row for South Georgia, this time, 2-0, before the skies opened to curtail the contest after six.

“Oh, it’s definitely official,” Peanuts catcher Nick Prosise said. “Two hits, no runs, that counts as a shutout.”

The Peanuts pitchers have now thrown 16 consecutive scoreless innings.

It may seem like the pitching staff collectively caught a case of Shutdown Fever, but from behind the plate Prosise doesn’t see the performances as contagious, rather a group of pitchers falling into a comfort zone.

“Guys are starting to get an idea what they do best,” he said. “They are pitching to their strengths.”

That meant a dropping sinker from Colacchio, the reliever making his first start of the season. He allowed two hits and a walk before retiring nine consecutive batters in four innings of work.

Upwood then had no problem, pitching two perfect innings in relief.

The Peanuts’ offense manufactured just enough runs to beat the Juice for the third time in three tries this year.

Once Chris Demons worked back from an 0-2 count to draw a bases-loaded walk, South Georgia (18-9) pushed the first run across. Joey Hooft followed with an opposite field base hit to right that scored the second.

As the Peanuts finished batting in the sixth, a drizzle developed into a downpour to bring the game to halt. When the grounds crew struggled pulling the tarp all the way across the field, leaving a sprawling pool of water near first base, the second game was called before it started.

Combined with rain delays during the last series in Macon and throughout the two games against Bradenton (16-11) the Peanuts have played sporadically of late.

Still, even though it hasn’t affected the pitching staff, the hitters are beginning to show frustration.

“It sure is annoying,” Hooft said. “We are playing so well as a team, a game gets delayed or canceled and it gets us out of rhythm.”

The team now embarks on a six-game road trip against the league’s two cellar dwelling teams, Charlotte County and Anderson. They are a combined 14-42 on the year.

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