Ten Unanswered Runs Boost Braves to Sweep

Rome, GA - A few days after the Augusta GreenJackets swept the Hickory Crawdads in a three-game series, the Rome Braves turned the tables on Augusta. With ten unanswered runs, the Braves cruised to a 10-2 victory over the GreenJackets on Thursday afternoon at State Mutual Stadium to extend their winning streak to a franchise-long 11 games.

For the third straight day, the GreenJackets drew first blood. Brett Krill singled home a run in the third inning to give the GreenJackets a 1-0 lead. After Krill took third on a perfectly executed hit-and-run, Jose Flores hit a sacrifice fly to double Augusta's lead to 2-0.

Rome didn't wait long to tie and eventually take the lead in the contest. With runners at second and third and one out in the third, William Beckwith drilled a double to deep left to score both runs and tie the game at two. Robby Hefflinger followed with his first of two homers - both of which hit Rome's videoboard in left-center - to give the Braves a 4-2 lead.

The Braves added to the lead in the fourth on RBI singles by Fernando De Los Santos and Elmer Reyes to make it a 6-2 game. In the sixth, the Braves had their second four-run inning of the game to push their lead to eight runs. After Augusta twice failed to turn double plays, with the second failed attempt bringing home a run and keeping the inning alive, Hefflinger belted a three-run homer - his second of the day - to push Rome's lead to 10-2.

Bryce Bandilla (2-4) struggled in his second trip through the Braves lineup, surrendering eight of the ten hits he allowed in the third and fourth innings. In four innings, he also allowed six runs and a walk while striking out three.

Rome starter Greg Ross (4-7) scattered ten hits and a walk through seven innings, but only allowed two runs while striking out five. The GreenJackets stranded seven men on the basepaths, but ended the fourth with a strikeout-caught stealing double play and grounded into inning-ending, twin-killings in the fifth, seventh and eighth innings.

Since taking three of four in Savannah in the first series of the second half, the GreenJackets are 4-14 on the road. This four-game sweep is the fourth time the GreenJackets have been swept this season and the second time by the Braves at State Mutual Stadium, where the GreenJackets are just 2-8 this year.

The GreenJackets open a four-game series against the Charleston RiverDogs on Friday at Lake Olmstead Stadium. Adalberto Mejia (7-6, 5.01) gets the ball for the GreenJackets in the series opener while Charleston sends Phil Wetherell (4-5, 6.63) to the mound. The first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a free GreenJackets golf towel on Golf Night at the ballpark. First pitch comes at 7:05 p.m. with radio coverage on ESPN Radio 1340 AM. Single-game tickets for any GreenJackets home game are currently available by calling the GreenJackets front office at 706-922-WINS and online at www.greenjacketsbaseball.com.