Pair of Home Runs, Late Offense Deliver Danville Win

DANVILLE, Va. - The Danville Braves broke out of a team-wide scoring drought in an explosive fashion, scoring seven runs and hitting two home runs to take down the Bluefield Blue Jays 7-3 on Saturday night.
Bryce Ball hit his league-leading 12^th home run and Victor De Hoyos added his first home run of the season to help the D-Braves respond after back-to-back shutout losses.
Danville lefthander Mitch Stallings got the start and after allowing a leadoff single struck out the next three batters to end the inning. Stallings would allow a walk in the second frame but struck out three more batters to give him six after the first two innings.
Meanwhile, Cody Milligan hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the first and stole second base but was stranded there. It was a different story in the second inning, as a pair of one-out singles put Michael Mateja and Cody Birdsong on base. After a De Hoyos groundout, Charles Reyes knocked in both runners with a two-run single to open the scoring and deliver an early 2-0 lead.
The lead wouldn't last past the third inning, as Bluefield got an RBI single and a two-run double to take a 3-2 advantage. The Blue Jays threatened again in the fifth inning with runners on second and third and one out, but Danville reliever Filyer Sanchez got a pop up and a flyout to end the inning.
Ball tied the game with a solo shot to right field in the sixth inning, adding to what has been a prolific slugging season. His home run total is the most by a Danville batter since 2008, when Geraldo Rodriguez hit 13.
In the seventh inning, Bluefield again threatened with runners on second and third and one out, but Davis Schneider's line drive popped off the glove of pitcher Justin Yeager and into the mitt of Milligan, who fired the ball to Birdsong at third for a rare 1-4-5 double play to escape the jam.
The bottom of the seventh saw another solo home run, this time from De Hoyos. The left field dinger gave Danville a 4-3 lead that it would add to but never relinquish.
After Yeager retired the side in the eighth, Beau Philip reached on a throwing error and stole second base to lead off the inning. Brandon Parker grounded out and Bluefield intentionally walked Ball to set up a double play possibility. A groundout from Willie Carter made it two outs, but a wild pitch on the next at bat walked Mateja and scored Philip to make it 5-3. Birdsong followed up with an RBI single that scored Ball and De Hoyos smacked an RBI double to drive in Mateja and give Danville the 7-3 lead.
Kenny Wells came in to pitch the ninth for Danville and though the Blue Jays drew three walks and loaded the bases with two outs, Wells got Schneider to fly out for the final out of the game.
The teams will meet Sunday at 4 p.m. in the series finale.