Rally Snaps D-Braves Losing Streak, 9-5
The Braves got just what they were looking for tonight: a quality start by right-hander Dan Jurik. Through the opening four innings, Jurik held the White Sox scoreless, allowing three total hits and striking out one Bristol batter.
In support of their ace, Danville batters took an early lead on an RBI single by third baseman Barrett Kleinknecht. Solid innings from Bristol starting hurler Spencer Arroyo, however, kept the Braves to that lone run through the fifth.
The Sox disrupted Jurik's shut out in the fifth inning in grand fashion. With two on, right fielder Marcus Spencer smashed a three-run shot over the left field wall to give Bristol a 3-1 advantage. Both the home run and the RBIs marked the outfielder's first of the season since joining the club.
Unable to respond in the bottom half, the game appeared to be tailing toward disaster as it had done the six previous nights. The D-Braves refused to go quietly tonight, however, and tied the game with two tallies in the bottom of the sixth. The runs came courtesy of back-to-back RBI singles by catcher Evan Gattis and designated hitter Joey Terdoslavich.
But the Braves weren't the only ones who weren't content with taking a loss, and the White Sox responded with two of their own in the top of the seventh, giving them a 5-3 lead in the ballgame. With Matthew Lewis on the mound now for Danville, the righty gave up a lead-off single before second baseman moved a runner into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.
With one out in the books, Lewis issued three consecutive walks, and allowed a run in on a wild pitch before he was taken out of the game in favor of fellow righty, Dalton Acord. After allowing a run in thanks to a hit-batter with the bases loaded, Acord was finally able to end the strenuous inning.
The Braves trailed into the home half of the inning, but six runs, five hits and three outs later, the D-Braves came out of the inning ahead 9-5. In the inning during which Danville batted around, Kleinknecht and Terdoslavich both notched their second RBI singles of the game off of reliever Kevin Rath, to tie it up at 5-5 - all with two outs on the board. As what seemed to be the final hope for the Braves in the inning, Alberto Odreman came to the plate with three on, and rocketed the club to an 8-5 lead on a bases-clearing triple, before he, himself, scored on a wild pitch.
With a four-run lead, Acord pitched himself to his second win of the season, striking out five, and allowing no additional Bristol runs on a hit and two walks. After giving up all of the six-inning tallies, Rath was credited with both his third blown save and loss of the season for his one inning of work.
All but one Danville batter had a hit tonight, with Kleinknecht recording his sixth three-hit game, and Terdoslavich tallying his tenth two-hit game. Both of these accomplishments are firsts for the D-Braves this season. Combined, the two knocked in four runs, scored three times, and went 5-8. For Bristol, outfielder Spender had all but one of the team's RBIs on the night in his 1-3 outing.
With this three-game home stint in the books, the D-Braves now take to the road for a trio of games in Bluefield. The team returns for a quick two-game home stand on Aug. 15-16 against Burlington in what could be a battle for a spot in the 2010 Appalachian League Playoffs. Featured in this upcoming stand is Dollar Dog Monday. Don't miss out on all of the action here at American Legion Post 325 Field, while enjoying these great promotions!
Fans can follow all Braves play-by-play action for home games on WMNA 106.3 FM or on the Braves' website at www.dbraves.com. For other information on the schedule, tickets, group nights, and/or partnership opportunities please contact the Danville Braves office at (434) 797-3792, [email protected], or log on to the D-Braves website.