Fuentes Struggles in Debut, Emperors Fall Flat in Sunday's Rubber Match

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SAL Rome Emperors

Fuentes Struggles in Debut, Emperors Fall Flat in Sunday's Rubber Match

April 7, 2025 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Rome Emperors News Release


Rome Emperors first baseman Will Verdung on base vs. the Winston-Salem Dash
Rome Emperors first baseman Will Verdung on base vs. the Winston-Salem Dash
(Rome Emperors)

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - Rome was outscored 19-3 and outhit 17-5 over the final 12 innings of the series with the Winston-Salem Dash, consequently dropping game three, 11-3, Sunday.

Didier Fuentes (Braves no.11 prospect), who hadn't pitched since his stellar outing in the Spring Breakout Game on March 16th against Detroit, walked three Dashers and ceded three base hits over his only two innings of work Sunday. Walks were issued to each of the leadoff batters in the first and second. Both would eventually come around to score. A balk in the first and a couple of wild pitches in the second only exacerbated his outing. Of his 61 pitches, 35 landed for strikes.

Winston-Salem scored two in the first, two in the second, two in the third, and one in the fourth to go up 7-2 entering the fifth. Rome's two-run bottom of the second was aided by three Winston-Salem wild pitches and two fielding errors. The lone run in the seventh came after an Ambioris Tavarez leadoff double, a ground ball off the bat of Joe Olsavsky to move him to third, and a Stephen Paolini sacrifice fly to right. Tavarez's double marked the only extra-base hit of the contest for the Emperors.

Rob Griswold, Luis Vargas, and Ryan Bourassa worked two innings each of the Rome bullpen. Bourassa was the only slinging penguin to not give up an earned run Sunday, striking out five of the seven batters he faced.

The Emperors travel north to the Bluegrass State where the defending South Atlantic League Champions, the Bowling Green HotRods, await their arrival. That six-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays High-A affiliate gets underway Tuesday at 7:35PM ET.

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Rome Emperors first baseman Will Verdung on base vs. the Winston-Salem Dash
Rome Emperors first baseman Will Verdung on base vs. the Winston-Salem Dash
   

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