On a damp Friday night at Legends Field, the Lexington Legends kicked off their 25th Anniversary Season, presented by Lexington Clinic, with a tight 2-1 win over the Charleston Dirty Birds. Center fielder Dylan Rock stole the spotlight, going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate and driving in both of Lexington’s runs, including a solo homer in the third inning that got the Legends on the board.
Nic Laio led a dominant pitching performance for Lexington, striking out nine over five shutout innings to earn the win. The Legends' bullpen followed suit, combining for seven more strikeouts across four innings and allowing just one run — an RBI double by Charleston shortstop Joseph Rosa in the eighth.
The go-ahead run came in the seventh when Rock lifted a sacrifice fly to score third baseman Brian Fuentes. Fuentes added spark with a stolen base, eventually putting himself in position for the sac fly.
Charleston starter Kyle McGowin took the loss despite a solid four-inning outing, surrendering just one run and five hits. Lexington’s Brian Fuentes also had a standout night, going 3-for-4 with two doubles in his team debut.
Both teams were sharp defensively with no errors committed, but Lexington’s pitching depth and timely hitting made the difference. With the win, the Legends start the 2025 season 1-0 and give their home crowd of 3,386 fans a strong first impression that kept the stadium rocking all night long in legendary fashion.
The Legends continue their 2025 Opening Weekend tomorrow against the Charleston Dirty Birds, with first pitch at 7:00 PM. The first 1,000 fans in the ballpark can look forward to a Maker's Mark dipped baseball to take home (21+ only), as well as another round of spectacular postgame fireworks.
The 2025 Lexington Legends are celebrating the 25th Anniversary of professional baseball in Lexington, presented by Lexington Clinic. Home games are played at Legends Field, located at 207 Legends Lane in Lexington, Kentucky. Please call 859-252-HITS (4487) or visit www.LexingtonLegends.com for more information.
Celebrating its third decade, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. Over its 26-year history, the ALPB has sent over 1,400 players to MLB organizations while drawing over 47 million fans to its 10 family-friendly ballparks that stretch from New York to North Carolina. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com
