Moclair, Melendez and Procopio Spin Asheville's First Shutout

ROME- The Asheville Tourists pitched their first shutout of 2021 and it could not have come at a better time. The Tourists had dropped four out of five to the Rome Braves and netted only a pair of victories through the first 11 games of their road trip. Sunday afternoon, Asheville proved they could win and win big on the road with a 9-0 tally to conclude the series in Rome.

Asheville jumped out to a 1-0 lead right away on a Matt Barefoot RBI double in the top of the first. Joe Perez made it 2-0 with a solo Home Run off the right-field foul pole in the top of the fourth. Freudis Nova doubled Asheville’s advantage later in the inning when his groundball to short was misplayed and two runs came into score.

The Tourists blew the game open in the top of the seventh. Asheville batted around and received RBI hits from Barefoot, Korey Lee, and Perez. Alex Holderbach also plated a run on a fielder’s choice.

Perez clubbed another RBI double in the top of the eighth to provide the final margin of victory. Perez finished 3-for-5 with three extra-base hits. Barefoot and Enmanuel Valdez each contributed two hits and Alex McKenna scored three runs.

As effective as Asheville’s offense was on Sunday, the pitching was at its best. Mark Moclair and Jaime Melendez each pitch four shutout innings while Daniel Procopio nailed down the shutout with a scoreless ninth inning. Moclair allowed only one hit while Melendez received the win in his Asheville Tourists debut.

Following the off-day, the Tourists will open up a 12-game homestand against the northern division’s first place team, the Aberdeen IronBirds. Asheville is 11-6 at home this season and brings some positive momentum into the next contest thanks to their performance on Sunday.