Savannah starter Josh Stinson fired six innings of shutout ball and Nick Abel closed the door as the Sand Gnats whitewashed the Charleston RiverDogs, 7-0, in South Atlantic League action Tuesday night in front of a season-high 7,019 fans at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

With the victory, the Sand Gnats snap a three-game losing skid – all to the RiverDogs – and improve to 4-9 in the season’s second half and 37-46 overall.  Charleston slips to 5-7 since the All-Star break and 50-32 on the season.

Charleston collected only six hits on the night, with Stinson allowing only five in six strong innings.  It was the RiverDogs’ first time shutout since Greenville whitewashed them on May 14, a 1-0 victory in Charleston.

Stinson, in improving his record to 2-4, fanned three and walked one while Abel, in securing his first save of the season, went three full frames, allowed one hit and struck out four.

After leading 1-0 after three innings, Savannah erupted for four runs in the fourth on five hits, an error and a wild pitch.

Sean McGraw, Nick Giarraputo and Joaquin Rodriguez collected singles to load the sacks with one out and Carlos Guzman lofted a sac fly to left to plate McCraw. 

Leadoff batter Greg Veloz followed with an RBI single that scored Giarraputo, and on the same play Rodriguez scored on Charleston right fielder Austin Krum’s throwing error.  Veloz then scored on a wild pitch from RiverDogs starter Lance Pendleton (6-4).

The Sand Gnats added their sixth run in the sixth inning on a solo home run by Veloz, his fourth of the season, which came on a 1-0 pitch from reliever Ryan Zink.

The seventh run came in the eighth inning on a solo home run by Carlos Guzman, his fourth of the season, which came on a 3-1 count from Nick Chigges, a former College of Charleston standout.

Savannah tallied its first run in the third inning on an RBI single by Juan Lagares.

Savannah recorded 12 hits on the night while Charleston could only muster six.  Krum had two of the RiverDogs’ hits.