Gastonia rallies from 6-0 deficit to beat Lexington 14-6

Gastonia turned a 6-0 hole into a 14-6 win over Lexington in the series finale and carried a 38-25 record into the second half, good for the Atlantic League’s third-best mark. The Ghost Peppers were set to open later Friday at CaroMont Health Park against Charleston.

Lexington looked ready to bury the game early. Damiano Palmegiani led off with a home run, then the Legends added three more runs in the first on a walk, a double play and an error. Palmegiani made it worse in the second, launching a two-run homer to push Lexington ahead 6-0. Gastonia answered immediately, stringing together four straight hits to start the bottom of the second. Cole Roederer drove in the first run with a double, Jace Rinehart followed with a two-run double, and a throwing error on Jackson Feltner kept the pressure on and cut the gap further.

The comeback sharpened in the next two innings. Chandler Seagle ripped an RBI double in the third, and Jack Reinheimer, the franchise’s first captain, tied the game 6-6 with a solo homer in the fourth.

The sixth inning finished the flip. Grant Lavigne drew a walk, then a heated exchange with Lexington catcher Juan Gonzalez helped bring about a pitching change. Gastonia took advantage of the reset, working another walk, rolling two groundouts and then getting Roederer’s first homer of the season, a two-run shot that turned the inning into a five-run burst. Roederer later added another drive to right field, while Justin Wylie and Seagle also drove in runs as the margin widened.

Eddie Leon bridged the game with two scoreless innings, Jordan Fisher earned his first professional win with two shutout frames and just one hit allowed, and Nate Peden retired all six batters he faced while striking out three. The club opened 0-5 in 2025 and reached the South Division second-half title and the playoffs for a fourth straight year.