D-Braves Go 1-2 in Elizabethton
Published on August 9, 2014 under Appalachian League (ApL)
Danville Otterbots News Release
DANVILLE, VA - After a nine game home stand in which the Danville Braves went 4-5 and held a 2.5 game lead in the East, Danville however would fall on some rough times on the road. The D-Braves avoided the sweep in the final game of the series, but find themselves tied with the Pulaski Mariners for first place in the East after going 1-2 in Elizabethton.
A combination of pitching and hitting has helped the Elizabethton Twins gain some momentum heading into the home stretch of the Appalachian League Playoffs. Danville was outscored 19-0 in the first two games of the three game road set, their worst two game scoring differential of the season. Danville entered the series with the Twins the best hitting team in the league, but the Twins pitching staff with a league best ERA of 2.89 was the perfect counterpunch to the D-Braves offense.
Grosser, who has been a staple of consistency for the D-Braves, had one of his toughest outings of the year despite striking out eight Twins. Grosser took the loss in game two of the series Friday night; he went just four innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on four hits and three walks.
Danville managed just a 2-18 (.111 BA) performance in the first two games combined with runners in scoring position, while Elizabethton put together 18 straight scoreless innings of work. Matt Tellor entered the series coming off of a week in which he was named the Appy League's Player of the Week and hit four home runs, however has cooled off from his hot streak at the plate since. In the first two games Tellor was 0-7, with a strikeout and a walk.
Game three of the six game road trip between the two series played out much differently than the first two. Danville exploded for 11 runs for a blowout 11-1 victory to avoid the sweep. The first five batters in the Danville lineup combined for nine out of the 11 runs on the night, as Omar Obregon and Jordan Edgerton led the way for the D-Braves. Obregon went 4-5 with two RBI, three runs scored, and increased his batting average from .265 to .290 on the season with the performance. Edgerton went 3-5 with a double, and added to his team-leading RBI total, driving in three giving him 35 for the season.
Ozzy Albies went 0-2 in the first game of the series with a day off in the second game in Elizabethton, but he made his mark against the Twins Saturday night. The shortstop went 3-4 on the night with a run scored. Albies again manages to do damage offensively, hitting .419 for in 16 games with the D-Braves.
Max Povse came into his start Saturday night coming off of a career and 2014 D-Brave season high nine strikeouts in just five innings in his previous outing against Princeton. Against Elizabethton the tall righty went a career high six innings, this time without striking out a single batter. Povse gave up four hits and the lone Elizabethton run on his way to his second career win.
The D-Braves remain on the road tomorrow as they begin a series with the Bluefield Blue Jays (22-25). Danville (27-20) is scheduled to send out Andry Ubiera (3-2, 3.38) to throw game one against Bluefield's Joey Acquino (1-2, 2.66) in an Appalachian League East battle. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. at Bowen Field.
Appalachian League Stories from August 9, 2014
- D-Braves Go 1-2 in Elizabethton - Danville Otterbots
- Doubleheader Cancelled Due to Wet Grounds - Greeneville Astros
- Carlton Tanabe Called up to AA Jackson - Pulaski Mariners
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.
