Biondi Buries Braves as Gnats win 20-3 Tuesday

Rome, GA - The Savannah Sand Gnats scored a season-high 20 runs in a blowout win over the Rome Braves at State Mutual Stadium on Tuesday. Center fielder Patrick Biondi finished with five hits and six RBI on the night.

The Gnats (20-17/59-48) started hot and scored eight runs in the second inning, a season-high for the team. 14 Gnats came to the plate in the second with seven driving in runs. Biondi scored two with a single to right before scoring himself later in the inning.

Rome (14-23/45-62) managed just five hits of Gnats' starter RHP Corey Oswalt (8-4). Oswalt finished with a career-high tying eight strikeouts and one walk.

Savannah kept the running production going scoring four runs in the third, three runs in the fourth, and three more in the seventh. Right fielder Wuilmer Becerra collected two doubles and four RBI on Tuesday, while shortstop Luis Guillorme added four hits of his own and scored three times. Second baseman JC Rodriguez doubled as well with three RBI. All three runs in the seventh came from a homerun from Biondi.

The Braves used five pitchers on the night with none going longer than 2.2 innings.

The Sand Gnats will go for the sweep against the Braves tomorrow at 1pm. The Gnats will send RHP Ricky Knapp (5-2, 2.83) to the hill, while Rome will start LHP Oriel L. Caicedo (3-6, 3.60). The Sand Gnats will travel to Charleston to take on the RiverDogs for four games before returning to Savannah to face Rome at Historic Grayson Stadium on Tuesday.