SAL Rome Emperors

Braves Batter IronBirds in Road Series

Published on June 28, 2021 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Rome Emperors News Release


Phenomenal pitching and solid defense willed the Rome Braves (24-22) to a series victory at Aberdeen last week. The R-Braves allowed just 17 runs in six games and took four of the six matchups against the IronBirds (25-21).

June 22, Rome wins 14-0

Rome wasted no time getting the bats involved on the East Coast. The Braves scored five runs in the first inning, one in the third, and eight combined runs in the seventh and eighth innings to record a massive victory. Jesse Franklin V (3-4, 5 RBI, 2 R) and Logan Brown (1-4, 4 RBI, 2 R) went yard in the win while Kevin Josephina (3-4, 2B, 4 R), Michael Harris II (1-5, 2B, R), and Beau Philip (1-5, 3B, RBI) recorded extra-base hits. Starting pitcher Bryce Elder (5IP, 2H, 3BB, 7K) received the win, improving his season record to 2-1, as relievers Davis Schwab, Trey Riley, and Marrick Crouse also combined for the shutout.

June 23, Aberdeen wins 3-2

In a much quieter night for the Brave offense, Rome scored both of their runs in the first two innings. Aberdeen tied it with a two-run sixth and walked it off with a RBI single in the bottom of the eleventh inning. Franklin (1-4, RBI, R) hit a home run for the second consecutive night, bringing his total number of long-balls for the month of June to eight. Harris (1-3, RBI), Josephina (1-5), and Cody Milligan (1-5, R) were the only other Rome Braves to tally a hit. The loss was given to closer Indigo Diaz (0.2IP, 1H, 0BB, 0ER, 2K), but Freddy Tarnok (3.2IP, 1H, 2BB, 8K) produced a quality start. Reliever Kasey Kalich (2IP, 2H, 3BB, 0R, 3K) also had a solid outing, working out of jams in the ninth and tenth innings.

June 24, Rome wins 4-3

In back-to-back nights, the R-Braves scored all their runs in the early innings. This time around, Rome scored one run in the first inning, one in the second, and two runs in the third inning of a 4-3 victory. Aberdeen pushed across three in the bottom of the third, but six scoreless innings led to a memorable road triumph for the Braves. Harris (1-3, 3 RBI, R) hit his fourth homer of the season, a two-run blast in the top of the third, which served as the game-winner. Josephina (2-4, R) tallied a triple while Philip (1-3, RBI) and Riley Delgado (1-5, R) recorded doubles in the win. Jared Shuster (4IP, 3H, 2BB, 3ER, 5K) faced his first trouble of the season and allowed two home runs, but Coleman Huntley III (W, 4-1; 3IP, 1H, 5K) and Gabriel Noguera (S, 1; 2IP, 0H, 2BB, 1K) closed out the game with no harm done.

June 25, Rome wins 3-2

Neither side had a quick start on offense on Friday night. Rome controlled a 1-0 advantage in the third inning before Aberdeen battled back with scores in the fourth and seventh innings to claim the lead. Then, in crunch time, first baseman Bryce Ball obliterated a ball to left field, scoring Milligan in the process. That two-run blast in the eighth inning put Rome out in front, 3-2, and helped the Braves secure a narrow victory over the IronBirds. Ball (1-4, RBI, R) netted his fourth four-bagger of 2021 while Harris (2-4, RBI) and Milligan (2-4, 2 R) each had two-hit days. Franklin (1-4) reached on a double, his ninth of the season. Alan Rangel (6IP, 2H, 2BB, 1ER, 9K) had his best outing of the year, while Tyler Ferguson (W, 1-1; 2IP, 0H, 1BB, 1R, 1K) and Indigo Diaz (S, 4; 1IP, 1BB, 1K) pitched the final three frames.

June 26, Aberdeen wins 5-0

The IronBirds were able to exact some revenge with a shutout of the Braves on Saturday. Rome recorded just four singles, as Milligan (1-4), Josephina (1-4), Brown (1-4), and Andrew Moritz (1-3) reached in the defeat. Darius Vines (5IP, 5H, 3BB, 5R, 1ER, 7K) received the loss in his Rome Braves debut. Crouse (2IP, 1H, 1K) and Schwab (1IP, 2BB) combined to pitch the last three innings.

June 27, Rome wins 8-4

Late-inning fireworks propelled the R-Braves to a come-from-behind win in the series finale. Though the IronBirds led 3-1 going into the eighth inning, Rome exploded for seven runs in the last two frames to pull away for a series-deciding triumph. Ball (1-5, 3 RBI, R) hit his second homer in three days while Harris (2-5, 2 RBI, R) and Rusber Estrada (1-4, R) reached on doubles. Philip (2-4, R) and Moritz (2-4, 2 R) each had a strong day at the plate. The win was given to Trey Riley (2-0; 1IP, 1BB, 1K) and Kalich (2IP, 3H, 1BB, 1ER, 4K) received the save (3).

Starting Pitcher of the Week

Veteran righty Alan Rangel earned his first Starting Pitcher of the Week honors for his efforts on Friday night. The 23-year-old hurler surrendered one run on two hits and two walks in six innings against the IronBirds. Although his performance went down as a no-decision, Rangel's performance was imperative to Rome's 3-2 win. The Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, native fanned nine batters in Aberdeen. Rangel now has a 5.05 ERA and has struck out 49 batters in 35.2 innings pitched.

Relief Pitcher of the Week

Zach Daniels shined in two appearances for the Rome Braves in Aberdeen. Between two innings on Wednesday and one inning on Sunday, the University of Iowa product allowed no runs on one hit, two walks, and one hit-batsman. Daniels also struck out five IronBirds in the three innings he pitched. The Robins, Iowa, native now has a 1.31 ERA in 20.2 innings and has not allowed an earned run since May 19 versus Bowling Green. In a scorching-hot month of June, Daniels has a WHIP of 0.87 in 10.1 innings pitched and opponents are hitting just .129 against him.

Offensive Hitter of the Week

For the second consecutive road-stand, Kevin Josephina was Rome's offense player of the week. The veteran infielder hit .412 versus the IronBirds, tallying five singles, one double, and one triple in 17 at-bats. Josephina earned one walk and scored five times in Maryland. In the trip to Aberdeen, the 24-year-old led the team in batting average, on-base percentage (.444), slugging (.588), OPS (1.033), and was tied with Harris in total number of hits (7). Josephina now has the second-highest average on the team (.292).

Up Next

After taking the series over the IronBirds, the Braves are 24-22 on the year. Rome sits third in the High-A East South, three games behind Greensboro (28-20) and seven games behind league-leading Bowling Green (31-15). This week, the Rome Braves will travel an hour northeast of Aberdeen to Wilmington, Del., for a six-pack with the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The Washington Nationals' affiliate is third in the High-A East North with a 22-24 record. This week's games will start at 7:05 p.m. EDT Tuesday through Saturday, while Sunday's game will begin at 1:05 p.m.

Check out the Rome Emperors Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



South Atlantic League Stories from June 28, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central