A trip to the South Atlantic League Championship Series is only one win away for the Augusta GreenJackets after their 1-0 victory over the Asheville Tourists on Wednesday.

That win could come as early as tonight when the two teams meet for Game 2 of the SAL Southern Divisional Playoffs in Asheville, N.C.

With a 1-0 series lead, GreenJackets manager Andy Skeels said his team has a clear upper hand.

"For them it's do-or-die now," he said. "It's huge -- especially in a short series like this, you absolutely want to win the first one. You want the other team to have to catch you."

Asheville will have to go through Scott Barnes to do so. The GreenJackets left-hander will be making only his eighth professional start when he takes the mound for tonight. He'll also be celebrating his 21st birthday.

The St. John's product was taken by the San Francisco Giants in the eighth round of June's Major League Baseball Draft.

He's lived up to the high expectations so far with a 1.38 ERA in seven starts with Augusta including a one-hit, seven-inning shutout Aug. 11 against the SAL Northern Division second-half champion West Virginia Power.

"I don't care where or when you were drafted, that was impressive," Skeels said of Barnes' first professional win.

"It's always been one of the strengths of the Giants organization to develop pitching. We needed another starter to give us something like that."

Barnes will face a much more experienced arm in Asheville starter Shane Lindsay. The 23-year old right-hander is in his fifth year of professional baseball and spent most of the season in the Advanced-A ranks where he was named a two-time California League Pitcher of the Week.

He was sent down to the Tourists in August and brings a 1-2 record with a 5.55 ERA to the mound.