CHARLESTON, SC — In a game that began and ended with watermelon, the Charleston RiverDogs snapped an eight-game losing streak July 5 at Riley Park here by defeating the Rome, GA, Braves, 9-1 in South Atlantic League action. Watermelon Night, an annual event at "The Joe," featured the South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture; a representative of the 2014 South Carolina Watermelon Queen; a watermelon-eating contest for youngsters; the ubiquitous RiverDogs mascots, Charlie T. RiverDog and Chelsea; a South Carolina Ghostbusters performance; and watermelon slices for fans. (See more photos here)

Emily Dick, presiding as the South Carolina Watermelon Queen at Watermelon Night, had a pre-game baseball discussion with the team mascot, Chelsea.The watermelon-bookended game began with Hugh E. Weathers, South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture, throwing (rolling, actually) the first watermelon and ended with free watermelon slices for the crowd of about 4,600 as they left the park after the game. In between innings, a watermelon-eating contest was held with four youngsters competing and Emily Dick, the Watermelon Queen representative, kibitzed with fans.

The South Carolina Watermelon Association, which sponsored Watermelon Night, is promoting watermelon as an alternative to chemically influenced sports drinks, according to Matt Cornwell, marketing specialist for watermelon with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. The association had stickers and placards touting the health benefits of watermelon on hand at the tables where fans picked up slices of watermelon as they headed home after the game.

The association will distribute watermelons at preseason football practices at the University of South Carolina, South Carolina State University, Clemson University and The Citadel. Earlier this year, in a massive undertaking, the group provided a cup of watermelon to each of the 40,000 runners in the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston on April 5, Cornwell told The Produce News.

A team of five workers fell into an accustomed routine and started slicing 200 watermelons during the second inning of the game to have slices on hand for the 4,600 fans as they left the park.

The association noted that watermelon keeps hydration levels high for athletes and adds more lycopene and vitamins A and C antioxidants than provided by a leading sports drink. Other research has been conducted and reports will be issued within a year. In South Carolina, one of the nation's top 10 watermelon growers, the harvest runs from mid-June to late August, said Ann Bryant, the association's promotions coordinator.