Soroka excels in Appy League debut

They say you only get one chance to make a good first impression. Mike Soroka seized his chance on Saturday.

The Braves' No. 12 prospect tossed four hitless innings in his Appalachian League debut as Rookie-level Danville cruised to an 11-4 victory over Bristol at Boyce Cox Field.

Soroka struck out six and walked two. He retired the final eight battershe faced and left after reaching his 55-pitch limit.

"My fastball was there. It's usually the pitch I can count on," he said. "Changeup and slider were there for strikes and balls on finishing pitches. Started to get into a rhythm in the third or fourth. It would have been fun to keep going.

"Fastball command wasn't as good in the first two innings. I'm not sure if it was jitters or what. That's when my pitches started to open up."

The Braves' first-round pick in this year's Draft made the jump to the Appy League after four appearances in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, where he allowed two runs on five hits over 10 innings.

"It went really well. I couldn't have asked for much better," the 17-year-old right-hander said. "It's nice to get out of the GCL. It's a lot more fun."

Despite the success, Saturday's outing proved to be a learning experience for the Calgary native.

"I learned to adapt to the way some things are," Soroka said. "Our starter last night, Patrick Weigel, told me that the mound was flat and that I needed to work down. I made the adjustment between the second and third inning; I was missing up quite a bit in the first few innings."

Eighth-round pick Ryan Lawlor (1-0) earned the win, despite giving up four runs -- two earned -- on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings. Luis Gamez allowed a hit and a walk while recording the final five outs, two on strikeouts.

Carlos Castro had four hits, including a double, and scored twice, while Braves No. 18 prospect Austin Riley doubled twice and drove in two runs for Danville.

Jonathan Schwind doubled home a run for Bristol.