SL1 Mississippi Braves

Orr, Nelson Lead Greenville's 7-6 Win

April 5, 2003 - Southern League (SL1)
Mississippi Braves News Release


GREENVILLE, S.C. _ Pete Orr, who reached base on all three plate appearances, scored an eighth-inning run on a sacrifice fly by Cory Aldridge to give Greenville a 7-6 win over the Birmingham Barons Saturday night.

Bubba Nelson pitched a perfect ninth to preserve the victory and cap a scoreless four-inning performance as the G-Braves claimed their first Southern League victory of the season.

Orr, making his first start of the season, ignited an early Greenville rally by reaching base on a strikeout/wild pitch. He doubled in the sixth inning, and began the eighth with an infield hit. It came an inning after the G-Braves had tied the score on Bryce Terveen's two-out, RBI single. Terveen was also making his first start of the season.

Jonathan Aceves' third hit of the night, a two-out, bases-loaded single, gave Birmingham a 6-5 lead in the top of the fifth inning. All the Birmingham scoring came against veteran Major League pitcher Paul Byrd, who made his first appearance since going on the disabled list March 21 with a strained right elbow. Byrd showed no signs of any physical problems as he cruised through three innings on 38 pitches. But after a two-out infield error in the fourth inning, Byrd yielded successive run-scoring hits to Aceves, Daylon Holt, and Josh Shaffer.

A 17-game winner last year with the Kansas City Royals, Byrd allowed two more hits and a walk before leaving with the bases loaded in the fifth inning.

Eric Herndon finished the fifth inning for the G-Braves, then gave way to Nelson, ranked by Baseball America as Atlanta's fourth-best prospect. He allowed only one hit over the last four innings. As a member of the Class A Myrtle Beach team last year, Nelson allowed one earned run or less in 17 of his 23 starts.

Aided by four wild pitches from Birmingham starter Brian West , Greenville took a 5-1 lead in the third inning on RBI hits by Ryan Langerhans, Richard Lewis and Bill McCarthy. Orr started the rally by reaching base on a strikeout/wild pitch and moving to second on another wild pitch. West also hit a batter in the inning.

Adam LaRoche's opposite-field, first-inning home run gave Greenville its first lead of the season. It was LaRoche's second home run in as many nights, both of them to left field. Aceves, in his first at-bat of the season, tied the game at 1-1 with a home run deep to left field in the second inning.

The series concludes with Sunday's 1:15 p.m. game, when left-hander Bret Evert gets the start for Greenville. Dennis Ulacia, a right-hander, will start for Birminghjam. ... Promotions include Familyfest and Baseball Card Day. The first 1,000 fans will receive a free Greenville Braves 2002 Baseball Card Set. The G-Braves begin a 3-game home series with the Chattanooga Lookouts Monday night.

NOTES: Byrd threw strikes on 55 of his 78 pitches. .... Birmingham starter Brian West was the first-round choice of the Chicago White Sox in the 1999 amateur draft. ... G-Braves outfielder Jason Fitzgerald has been promoted to Richmond in the Class AAA International League.

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Southern League Stories from April 5, 2003


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