Povse makes best pro start for Danville

The Braves took a leap of faith on Max Povse, and so far this year, he's repaid that confidence in kind.

The right-handed Atlanta prospect took a no-hitter into the seventh inning as Rookie-level Danville routed Burlington, 10-1, on Thursday.

Povse struck out five and walked one in his longest pro outing, finishing with seven one-hit frames. The 20-year-old did not allow a hit until Logan Moon singled with one out in the seventh inning. He had retired 15 straight batters prior to that.

"It was sharp," Povse said of his stuff. "Everything had good movement and was late. I kind of got into cruise mode, everything was in sync. I just felt really good."

Selected in the third round by Atlanta in June, Povse has watched his innings increase with each start. On Thursday, he improved to 3-2 while lowering his ERA to 3.06. He has come on strong of late, allowing four earned runs on 17 hits in his past five games while picking up victories in his last three straight starts.

"Just trusting my stuff," the North Carolina native said of his recent success. "Not doing too much, just sit back in the lower half of the zone. I'm getting ground balls and the defense has been making the plays behind me."

Drafted out of the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Atlanta was intrigued by his 6-foot-7 frame as well as the speed of his fastball, which sits around 93 mph. This despite a 4.99 ERA in 15 appearances as a junior for the Spartans.

"I think some people can fall in love with stats and stuff, but I feel like my stuff has really translated to the next level," Povse said. "I feel like I was just blessed to be given the opportunity to play for the Braves. I'm trying to make the best of it."

Povse feels as though he's acclimated quickly to the pros, particularly in how often he takes the ball.

"It's different," he said of pro life. "The whole every five days has been something I've been trying to get used to. Over the past month or so, I feel like I've gotten into a good routine and things are starting to become more natural."

Danville reliever Tyler Vail gave up a run on three hits over the final two innings.

Tanner Murphy went 3-for-4 with a homer, four runs scored and two RBIs while Jordan Edgarton plated a pair of runs for the Braves.

Burlington's Leland Clemmons broke up the shutout with a solo homer in the ninth.