D-Braves End Four Game Skid
DANVILLE, VA - The D-Braves ended a four game skid and come out victorious in a 9-4 contest and avoid the sweep to Kingsport. Starter Matt Withrow went three solid innings for the D-Braves, only allowing two runs on three hits and striking out five Mets batters.
Danville wasted little time, gaining the early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Outfielder Jose Morel doubled to left field to get things started for the D-Braves. Morel was driven in by second baseman Luke Dykstra, son of former Met Lenny Dykstra, on one of his two rbi's on a double to right field to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. Mets starting pitcher Connor Buchmann then gave up two straight walks to load the bases for outfielder Ray Didder. Didder popped up a blooper to the Mets third basemen, Greg Valencia, who let the ball drop for an error which scored two runs to give the Braves a 3-0 lead after the 1st.
In the second inning the D-Braves picked up where they left off scoring another three runs to pad their lead to 7-0. Shortstop Yeudi Grullon started things off for the D-Braves in the second inning with a lead-off single to left field. Morel later walked in the inning, and Dykstra was hit by a pitch to load the bases for first baseman Carlos Castro. Castro delivered a two run doube to left field to extend the braves lead to 6-0. The very next batter, Jacob Lanning, singled home a run to increase the lead to 7-0,
The Braves were not done though, as they add 2 more insurance runs after the Mets narrowed the gap to 5 after a two run third inning for the Mets. In the bottom of the third inning, the first two Braves batters walked to set up Morel with a chance at a RBI. Morel did single, however, it was not deep enough for a run to score but the bases were loaded once again, this time Dykstra stepped up to the plate and took a pitch off the upper arm and received the RBI the hard way to increase the score to 8-2. Castro then sent a sac-fly to deep center field to score shortstop Yeudi Grullon to increase the lead to 9-2.
The Mets would answer back added a run a piece in the fifth and eighth inning. Arnaldo Berrios of the Mets drove home Raphael Ramirez on a single to right-center field after Ramirez singled through the hole at second base to make the score 9-3. The Mets added another run in the eighth inning after DH Dash Winningham blasted a solo home run to right field for the second home run for the Mets in as many nights.
Ryan Clark recorded the win for the D-Braves after pitching three and one-third innings, allowing one un-earned run on four hits and struck out three. Clark is yet to allow an earned run this year as he has pitched five and one-third innings without an earned run.
The Braves will welcome the Princeton Rays will come into town for a three game split series, with two games in Danville and one in Princeton. On the mound for the Rays will be Brock Burke, who is 1-0 on the year and has a 1.80 earned-run-average. The starter for the D-Braves will be right hander Garret Fullenchek. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. as the Braves will look to go for two straight wins.