DANVILLE, Va.- The Danville Braves played one of their most well-rounded games of the season with a strong, if not dominant, 5-2 win over the Bluefield Blue Jays Monday night. The Braves got outstanding work from their pitchers, clutch hitting from the lineup, and sharp fielding from the defense.
DANVILLE, Va.- The Danville Braves played one of their most well-rounded games of the season with a strong, if not dominant, 5-2 win over the Bluefield Blue Jays Monday night. The Braves got outstanding work from their pitchers, clutch hitting from the lineup, and sharp fielding from the defense.
As was the case throughout the series, Bluefield (16-9) struck first in the top of the 2nd when a Reilly Johnson double scored Brandon Grudzielanek. The Braves (12-13) quickly responded in the bottom of the inning when Blue Jays' starter Josh Winckowski unleashed a wild pitch, allowing Bradley Keller to scamper home, tying the game at 1.
One inning later, the Braves took the lead for good when Drew Lugbauer doubled and drove in two runs. Later in the inning, Winckowski's second wild pitch of the game brought Lugbauer in to score and give Danville a commanding 4-1 lead. That advantage grew to 5-1 in the bottom of the 5th inning when Leudys Baez singled to left field, bringing home William Contreras. Contreras had reached base earlier in the inning with a leadoff single, giving him a hit in 10 consecutive games.
Dilmer Mejia would give way to the Danville bullpen after five innings, but the Blue Jays could manage just a single run in the 8th inning when Antony Fuentes singled off of Walter Borkovich, scoring Kevin Smith. But Borkovich shook it off and retired the Blue Jays 1-2-3 in the 9th inning to help the Braves avoid a series sweep.
Mejia (1-1) picked up the win, allowing just a single run on four hits in his five innings of work. The losing pitcher was Josh Winckowski who surrendered five runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings. He also permitted five walks in addition to his two run-scoring wild pitches.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Braves remain home for the next three days as they begin a series with the Greeneville Astros. Jasseel De La Cruz will make his Danville debut after being called up from the GCL Braves on Sunday. While in Florida, he was 2-1 with a sparkling 1.89 ERA in four starts. It's also Two Dollar Tuesday presented by Terry Blakely State Farm, as well as Scout Night, and the first 500 fans will receive a Danville Braves 2017 team photo, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings. For tickets to tomorrow's 7:00 game, call 434-797-3792 or order online at dbraves.com.
###
