SAL Rome Emperors

Slim Losses Add up in Series Sweep at Greenville

August 10, 2021 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Rome Emperors News Release


Offensive struggles stood out as the Rome Braves (37-47) lost all six of last week's road matchups to the Greenville Drive (45-38). Rome, who scored just twelve runs in six games, fell in three one-run contests at Fluor Field.

August 3, Greenville wins 5-1

The Drive started out the week-long series with a four-run victory at Fluor Field. After Greenville scored runs in the third and fifth innings, Rome battled back to score their only run of the game in the top of the sixth when a Kevin Josephina single drove in Shean Michel from third base. The home team then responded with three runs the following half-inning to pull away for the series-opening win. Michel finished 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored while Josephina (1-4, RBI), Cody Milligan (1-4), Michael Harris II (1-4), Jesse Franklin V (1-4), and Beau Philip (1-3) had one hit each. AJ Puckett (5IP, 4H, 2BB, 2ER, 5K) received the loss while Davis Schwab (1IP, 3H, 1BB, 3ER) and Zach Daniels (2IP, 1H, 2K) pitched in relief.

August 4, Greenville wins 5-4

A three-run top of the fourth tied it up for Rome in Wednesday's clash in South Carolina. After a poor start, the Braves offense was kickstarted by an RBI double by Michel and a two-run Rusber Estrada double in back-to-back at-bats. The R-Braves took their first lead of the series two innings later as Michel reached on a base hit, bringing home Beau Philip to make it a 4-3 game. Unfortunately, the Drive rallied for two late runs on wild pitches in the seventh and eighth innings and held on for the narrow victory. Michel (2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, R), Estrada (2-3, 2 RBI), and Josephina (2-4, R) had two hits each while Michael Harris II went 1-for-4 with one run. Starting pitcher Jared Shuster gave up three earned runs in four innings with seven strikeouts and Mitch Stallings threw two scoreless innings. The loss was charged to Justin Yeager (2IP, 3H, 2ER, 3K), who suffered a blown save and dropped his season record in High-A to 0-2.

August 5, Greenville wins 4-0

Rome managed just one hit in Thursday's shutout loss to Greenville. The Drive scored one run in the third, one run in the seventh, and two runs in the eighth to take down the R-Braves in the third matchup of the series. Rome was outhit 7-1 and committed three errors defensively. A leadoff single by Josephina (1-3) in the second inning helped Rome avoid a perfect game, as no Braves batters reached via a walk. Jake McSteen (6IP, 5H, 3BB, 1ER, 8K) had a solid outing but still picked up the loss. Marrick Crouse (1IP, 1H, 1BB, 1ER) and Trey Riley (1IP, 1H, 1BB, 2ER) each gave up runs in the final two innings.

August 6, Greenville wins 4-3

One of the best matchups of the entire week was played on Friday night. Estrada gave Rome a second-inning advantage with an RBI single to score Philip. Not to be outdone, Greenville rallied for four runs in the third and fourth frames to control a 4-1 lead. An RBI groundout from Franklin allowed Luke Waddell to touch home plate in the top of the sixth. Although the R-Braves scored again the following inning when Estrada came home on a two-out single by Michel, they could not quite catch up and again fell by the slimmest of margins. Estrada was 2-for-4 with a double, one RBI, and one run scored, and Philip finished 2-for-4 with a run. Waddell, a 2021 fifth-round pick out of Georgia Tech, registered his first professional hit and first pro run while Harris finished 1-for-4 with a double. Darius Vines received the loss (1-4) after giving up four earned runs in 5 2/3 innings pitched, striking out seven Drive batters in the process. Emmanuel Ramirez struck out two batters in 1 1/3 innings and Tyler Ferguson tallied one strikeout in one inning. Neither of the relievers allowed a run.

August 7, Greenville wins 11-3

Greenville erased an early deficit and never looked back in Saturday night's affair at Fluor Field. Harris hit his sixth homer of the season to give Rome a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first inning. The Drive then responded with a four-run first inning and one run the next inning to take a 5-1 lead. Although RBI doubles by Andrew Moritz and Harris in the fourth and fifth innings respectively helped the R-Braves get back into it, Greenville scored six unanswered runs to pull away. Harris was fantastic at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBI and one run scored. Moritz finished 2-for-3 with a double and one RBI while Franklin went 1-for-4 with a double and a run. Starter Coleman Huntley III (4IP, 6H, 1BB, 5ER, 4K) earned the loss, falling to 5-5 on the season. Gabriel Noguera (1IP, 2H, 1BB, 2ER), Matt Hartman (1/3 IP, 2H, 1BB, 4ER), Daniels (1 2/3 IP, 1H, 2K), and Schwab (1IP, 1BB, 2K) all pitched in relief.

August 8, Greenville wins 2-1

The Drive finished off the week-long homestand with their third one-run victory over the Braves. After five scoreless innings, Rome took the lead in the top of the fifth when an RBI double from Harris drove in Waddell from second base. As fate would have it, Greenville then scored one run in the bottom of the sixth and one in the seventh to jump on top and held on late to secure the six-game sweep. Waddell was 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored, and Harris went 1-for-4 with a double and one run batted in. Michel (1-4) was the only other R-Brave to record a hit in the pitchers' duel. Puckett went 5 2/3 innings, surrendering just one earned run on four hits and two walks. The Pepperdine product tallied five strikeouts on the day. Ramirez picked up the loss after giving up one run (unearned) in 1 1/3 innings. Trey Riley pitched the eighth inning and allowed one walk.

Starting Pitcher of the Week

Although he received the loss on Thursday night, Jake McSteen still had a dominant performance. For that outing, he has been named Starting Pitcher of the Week during the trip to Greenville. The Nebraska product had an ERA of 1.50 after giving up one earned run in six innings pitched. He surrendered five hits and three walks but struck out eight Greenville batters on the night. McSteen, who was signed in May by the Atlanta Braves, is now 1-2 with the R-Braves, posting a 5.19 ERA in 34 2/3 innings pitched. He has improved with each outing and will look to continue that streak moving forward.

Relief Pitcher of the Week

Zach Daniels was named Relief Pitcher of the Week after tossing 3 2/3 scoreless innings in Greenville. A five-foot-eleven right-hander from Robins, Iowa, Daniels shut down the Drive offense in appearances on Tuesday and Saturday. He finished the week allowing two hits and one hit-batsman. He struck out four batters as well. Daniels currently has a team-best ERA of 1.49 (minimum 3IP) and is 2-2 on the season in 23 appearances. He has posted a WHIP of .067 and opponents are hitting just .117 off him.

Offensive Hitter of the Week

Standout outfielder Michael Harris II earned the nod for Offensive Hitter of the Week honors thanks to his efforts last week in Greenville. The Stockbridge, Ga., native hit .261 against the drive with three doubles, one home run, two runs scored, and three runs batted in. Harris finished with an on-base percentage of .292, a slugging mark of .522, and an OPS of .813. The 2019 third-round pick is currently considered Atlanta's no. 9 prospect and is hitting .293 on the season with six homers, 28 extra-base hits, 38 runs, and 50 RBI.

Up Next

The R-Braves currently sit 10 games below .500. They are 22 games out of first place in the High-A East South as division-leading Bowling Green (59-25) continued their tear last week. Rome trails second-place Greensboro (52-32) by 15 games, third-place Greenville (45-38) by 8 ½ games, and fourth-place Hickory (38-45) by 1 ½ games.

With one week down in this two-week Rome trip, the Braves will spend today traveling to the Tar Heel State for a six-game set with Hickory. It marks the first meeting of the season between Rome, the Atlanta Braves' High-A affiliate, and Hickory, an affiliate of the Texas Rangers. The two divisional foes will place each day Tuesday through Sunday. Games will start at 7 p.m. EDT Tuesday through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.

Check out the Rome Emperors Statistics



South Atlantic League Stories from August 10, 2021


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