Rome Splits Six Game Series with Hot Rods

The Rome Braves took to the road once again, this time to Kentucky for a six-game stint with the red-hot Bowling Green Hot Rods. Headed into the series, Bowling Green was an astounding eight and one on the season. The Hot Rods sat comfortably atop the South Atlantic League’s South Division.

Game One: Rome 4, Bowling Green 5

Roddery Munoz would take to the mound in just his second start of the season. In the bottom of the third inning, Bowling Green would find themselves in a prime opportunity with the bases loaded. A balk from Munoz would score one run, and a ground ball single to center would plate two more runs for the Hot Rods. Bowling Green would tack on one more thanks to another balk from Munoz.

Willie Carter would get the offense going for the Braves with a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth to score Cade Bunnell. Then in the top of the fifth, Drew Campbell would draw a bases loaded walk to cut the deficit to two. Tyler Tolve would plate a run thanks to a line drive single, and Cade Bunnell would tie the game with a sac fly to drive in Landon Stephens.

The two squads would remain knotted at four until the bottom of the ninth. Bowling Green’s Ronny Simon would lead off the inning with a single and then proceed to steal second. A line drive to center from Matt Dyer would score the winning run, giving the Hot Rods their ninth win of the year.

Game Two: Rome 8, Bowling Green 5

Game two would see Rome jump out early and keep their foot on the gas. The Braves would strike first in the top of the second thanks to a double from Christian Robinson that drove in Drew Campbell.

In the top of the third, a Drew Campbell double would plate a pair of runs in Justyn-Henry Malloy and Landon Stephens. Bryson Horne would keep the line going and drive in Drew Campbell with a line drive single to center. Rome would go up five runs to none thanks to a double from Beau Philip that drove in Bryson Horne.

The Braves would keep pick right back up in the top of the fourth with a run coming as a result of Justyn-Henry Malloy’s ground out that scored Cody Milligan. Landon Stephens would drive in the Braves’ seventh run of the day by sending a ground ball to center field and scoring Vaughn Grissom. Rome would close out the fourth inning sitting on a seven to zero score.

A Beau Philip home run in the top of the seventh inning would cap off the scoring for the Braves in the contest. A late surge from Bowling Green would be snuffed out by Justin Yeager, who slammed the door out of the pen and earned his second save on the season.

Game Three: Rome 4, Bowling Green 2

Rome would send Andrew Hoffmann to the mound in game three looking to jump ahead in the series.

Hoffmann would be absolutely brilliant in his third start of the year, striking out a career high eleven batters over six innings. The only blemish on Hoffmann’s night would be a line drive homer in the bottom of the third from Ronny Simon.

Christian Robinson would get that run back for Rome the next half inning thanks to a line drive single that would plate Bryson Horne. A bases loaded walk in the top of the fifth from Justyn-Henry Malloy would put the Braves out in front, and a Bryson Horne double play ball would plate Cody Milligan and add to the Braves’ lead.

Tyler Tolve would pad the lead for Rome in the top of the seventh on a double that would score Justyn-Henry Malloy.

Dylan Spain would come out of the bullpen and pick up his first save of the year, giving the Braves a four to two win.

Game Four: Rome 7, Bowling Green 2

The South Atlantic League strikeout leader would return to the mound on Friday night as the Braves looked to win their season high third straight game.

Beau Philip would get the Braves on the board early with a two out single to left field to drive in Drew Campbell in the top of the second inning.

Javier Valdes would crank his first homer of the year, a two-run shot, over the left field wall in the top of the fourth. Christian Robinson would follow up with a solo shot of his own to make the score four runs to one in favor of Rome.

Justyn-Henry Malloy would add to the slugfest with a two-run blast to put the Braves up by five in the fifth.

Beau Philip would tack on one more insurance run in the top of the ninth with a sac fly to right that drove in Landon Stephens.

Tanner Gordon would pick up his second win of the year, going six full innings with six strikeouts, and allowing two runs on five hits with zero walks.

The Braves’ bullpen would do its job on Friday night, with Alec Barger and Austin Smith covering three innings with no runs on four hits, zero walks, and four strikeouts.

Game Five: Rome 2, Bowling Green 6

Game five would see Rome struggle at the plate, with the only offensive showing coming in the form of a Tyler Tolve two-run homer in the top of the sixth.

Pitching would be the name of the game, with Braves starter Luis De Avila taking a no-hitter into the fourth inning.

Rome would carry a lead into the bottom of the eighth, but a late surge of offense from Bowling Green would vault the Hot Rods in front and give them the six to two win. Malcolm Van Buren would be credited with his first loss of the 2022 campaign.

Game Six: Rome 3, Bowling Green 11

Sunday’s finale would not be kind to the Braves despite jumping out in front in the middle innings.

Bowling Green would strike first with an RBI single from Logan Driscoll, but a Christian Robinson double in the top would put the Braves on top in the top of the fourth. The only other offense Rome would see would be Cade Bunnell’s first long ball of the year.

The Braves would fall to the Hot Rods by a final of eleven to three, resulting in a series split with the Bowling Green squad.

Rome returns home Tuesday, April 26th for a six game showdown with the Greensboro Grasshoppers. Rome last saw Greensboro in their first series of the season when the Braves took two out of three in North Carolina.

First pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 6:00 pm.