Gastonia outslugges Charleston 13-9, takes series behind Lavigne slam

Gastonia turned a two-homer Charleston start into a 13-9 win Sunday afternoon, then finished the series with the kind of counterpunch that has defined its best stretches. Grant Lavigne’s grand slam in left field flipped the game back to the Peppers and pushed Gastonia into the second half with a series victory and a 40-26 record.

Charleston came out swinging at Nick Horvath, with Jaylen Smith and Carlos De La Cruz both homering in the opening inning. Gastonia answered immediately with six runs in the bottom of the frame, taking the force out of the Dirty Birds’ early power play. Chris Proctor singled home two runs, Wade Kelly followed with a two-run double down the left-field line, and Jack Reinheimer finished the rally with an RBI single to put Gastonia back in front.

The game never settled. De La Cruz homered again in the third, then James Nelson delivered a two-run single in a six-run sixth that briefly sent Charleston back ahead. That inning set up the decisive response, and Gastonia made it count. Nate Scantlin singled home a run, then Lavigne cleared the bases with his slam, his 15th homer of the season and his 85th RBI, giving the Peppers a 12-9 lead that Charleston could not erase.

Reinheimer added another run with a solo homer in the seventh, stretching the margin to four and giving Gastonia room for the final three innings. Jared Henry and Jake Miednik handled the closing stretch, with Miednik retiring all six batters he faced to lock down the save. The finish gave Gastonia the series after Charleston opened the set by outlasting the Peppers 16-13 in 11 innings on July 4, a game that featured a three-homer night from Yassel Pino and a lead-churning start to the second half.

The win also fit the profile of a club that has learned how to survive slugfests. Gastonia won the South Division second-half title in 2025 and reached the ALPB playoffs, and this weekend’s finale showed the same edge, with the Peppers answering every Charleston surge before Lavigne delivered the swing that settled it. Gastonia next heads to Hagerstown for a six-game series that opens Tuesday night at 6:30.