RiverDogs rediscover groove

The Charleston RiverDogs seem to have regained the form that earned them first place in the South Atlantic League's Southern Division to start the second half.

Now, all the 'Dogs have to do is hope the peak they're riding doesn't lead into the valley that followed that hot start.

The latest ride began Wednesday when Charleston opened a seven-game road trip with a 3-1 loss to Hickory. Rain on Thursday forced a doubleheader Friday, and the day off must have done Edgar Gonzalez some good.

Gonzalez hit a two-run homer to win the first game of the doubleheader, then did it again in the nightcap, hitting a two-run shot in the ninth to give the RiverDogs consecutive road wins for the first time since late June.

Chris Flinn allowed one unearned run in six innings in the first game to improve to 7-6. Chris Crawford pitched two shutout innings to win the late game.

Sunday, Brian Lockwood gave up one run in six innings and Luis DePaula scored three times as the RiverDogs beat Kannapolis 6-2 in the opener of a four-game set. It was the first time this year the team won three straight road games and the first time since July 19, a span of 26 games, they'd scored more than five runs.

But they didn't stop there.

Monday night saw Chris Seddon retire the first 13 and allow two hits over 62/3 innings while striking out seven, and Tommy Porter got his first RBI since being promoted with a bases-loaded walk as Charleston beat Kannapolis 6-1.

The road winning streak heading into Tuesday's game was a season-high four, and the 'Dogs are guaranteed their first winning road trip of the season, holding a 4-1 record with two games to go.

Charleston came off a 32-37 first half with a string of wins, putting it atop the division standings. The team came back to earth quickly with a six-game losing streak. The RiverDogs now sit sixth in the division at 24-32, eight games behind Columbus.

JOEY POWER HITTER: Joey Gomes went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and what team officials believe to be a team-record seven RBIs Sunday afternoon as Hudson Valley beat Vermont 11-5.

The outburst helped Gomes, the New York-Penn League's home run leader with 15, raise his average to .277 with 13 doubles, four triples and a team-high 45 RBIs.

MORE BAKED THAN BLAZE: Bakersfield was indeed blazing right through the California League, finishing the first half as the organization's most successful team with a 41-29 record. At one point the Blaze was 18 games above .500 and had its sights set on a second-half championship.

Now there may not even be a playoff berth in the Class A team's future.

Promotions and injuries have forced manager Charlie Manuel to place younger players into lopsided matchups. Bakersfield, which was 18 games above .500 when players started moving up to Double-A Orlando, is paying a hefty price.

Bakersfield had lost nine of its past 10 heading into Tuesday night's game and led hard-charging San Jose by percentage points for the final playoff spot. After Monday's games, Bakersfield was 26-33 (.441) in the second half while San Jose was 25-32 (.439).

The good news for Bakersfield is that of the remaining 11 games, eight are at home.

NO GUARANTEES: Monday was Guaranteed Win night at Dutchess Stadium as Hudson Valley management guaranteed all 3,911 fans a Renegades win. Things were looking good as Jason Cromer returned after missing one start with a sprained ankle to scatter eight hits and allow three runs.

They got better when Brent Cordell broke up his second no-hitter in 11 days, but then everything went wrong. Vermont scored three in the fourth and two in the sixth to send the stadium full of fans home with a free ticket to a future game.