DANVILLE, Va,- For the second night in a row the Danville Braves got an excellent performance by their bullpen, as well as a big night offensively, to defeat the Bristol Pirates 8-3 on Monday night. Justin Smith hit a 2-run homer and William Contreras had a 3-RBI triple to lead
DANVILLE, Va,- For the second night in a row the Danville Braves got an excellent performance by their bullpen, as well as a big night offensively, to defeat the Bristol Pirates 8-3 on Monday night. Justin Smith hit a 2-run homer and William Contreras had a 3-RBI triple to lead the barrage.
Danville (20-19) opened the scoring in the 2nd inning when newcomer Jean Carlos Encarnacion scored on a wild pitch. They would add two more the following inning when Kevin Maitan singled into center field, scoring Contreras and Hagen Owenby.
With a 3-0 lead, Danville starter Odalvi Javier cruised into the 4th inning when the Pirates began to stir. With two outs, Ryan Peurifoy laced a base hit into left field, scoring two runs. Javier would get out of the inning without further damage but an elevated pitch count, combined with the two runs, chased him from the game after five innings.
In the 6th, the Braves offense that was on the verge of erupting all evening finally came to life. Riley Delgado led off the inning with a double. After an out was recorded, Smith launched a majestic, towering home run over the left field fence. Then after three straight singles, Contreras picked on a pitch from Mason Ward and drove it deep to center field. The ball hit the fence near the 400 foot sign, and the ensuing carom gave the Braves' catcher enough time to hustle to third base, driving in three runs for an 8-2 lead.
The Pirates (9-30) would score once in the 8th inning, but Taylor Hyssong would come in and shut the door, earning his first save of the season. The Braves tallied 12 hits on the evening and the bullpen allowed just a single unearned run on one hit in their 4 innings of work, giving them one hit allowed in their 11 innings this series.
What's Next:
Kyle Muller (1-0, 4.09) gets the start tomorrow night at 7 as the Braves look to complete the sweep against Bristol. The Braves are in position to earn their first sweep since June 28-30 at Burlington. It's Two Dollar Tuesday at the ballpark, presented by Terry Blakely State Farm. For tickets, call 434-797-3792 or go online to dbraves.com.
