Ceciliani and Shields Lead 12-2 Rout Saturday Night

Darrell Ceciliani was five-for-five with a double and three RBI and Robbie Shields drove home five runs to lead the Sand Gnats to a 12-2 blowout win over the Rome Braves in Rome Saturday night. The 12 runs and 16 hits were new season-highs. Ceciliani's five hits and Shields' five RBI also set new Gnats' season-highs.

Shields, along with RF Cory Vaughn was 3-6. Shields added a double, a triple and five RBI, while Vaughn doubled once. The top three hitters in the Savannah order, Ceciliani, Shields and Vaughn combined to go 11-for-17 with three doubles and a triple, five runs scored and 10 RBI.

The Gnats (17-18) have won two straight games and five of their last six and sit just one half game out of first place.

Saturday night, the Gnats blew the game open late. It was 3-1 headed to the seventh inning, when Savannah erupted for four runs. Ceciliani drove home two runs with a single, and Aderlin Rodriguez drilled a two-run home run, his seventh of the year to make the score 7-1. Rodriguez has hit six of his team-leading seven home runs on the road.

Shields added a two-run triple in the eighth inning and a two-run double in the ninth.

RHP Gonzalez Germen went seven innings, yielding just two runs to earn his third win of the year. Reliever Michael Weldon made his Savannah debut with a pair of scoreless frames in relief of Germen.

Game three of the four-game series is Sunday afternoon at 2 pm.

The Gnats return home for a four-game homestand against the Greenville Drive Friday night.