Braves Beaten Five Times in Bowling Green

Narrow losses added up for the Rome Braves (34-38) in last week's series defeat against the Bowling Green Hot Rods (50-22). Rome lost five times, with the largest difference being a four-run loss. The series loss puts the R-Braves at fourth place in the High-A East Standings, 16 games behind division-leading Bowling Green.

July 20, Bowling Green wins 5-4
Rome kept it close, but could not knock off Bowling Green in the series opener. The R-Braves brought across three runs in the top of the second inning before the Hot Rods tied it with a three-run bottom of the second. Bowling Green scored two more runs in the bottom of the sixth and, although a seventh-inning Logan Brown double scored Jesse Franklin V and made it a one-run game, Rome could not catch up on Tuesday evening. Andrew Moritz (2-4), Riley Delgado (2-4, 2B, RBI, R), and Brown (2-4, 2B, RBI, R) led the offense with two hits each. Darius Vines (L, 0-3) surrendered four earned runs in six innings, striking out four and giving up eight hits and zero walks. Gabriel Noguera tossed a scoreless two innings in relief with two K’s.

July 21, Bowling Green wins 4-3
The Hot Rods jumped out in front on Wednesday afternoon with a two-run first inning. The Braves responded in the fifth, as a Delgado RBI single allowed Rusber Estrada to touch home plate. After Bowling Green added another run in the bottom of the fifth, Rome began their comeback. A solo homer by Shean Michel in the sixth made it a one run game and then Beau Philip tied it with a one-out single in the top of the ninth, again bringing Estrada around to score. Unfortunately, the Hot Rods rallied and secured a walk-off victory with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning. Estrada had a perfect day on offense, finishing 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Michel (1-3, HR, RBI, R) hit his third long-ball of the year while Philip (1-4, RBI) and Delgado (1-4, RBI) had identical stat-lines. Jared Shuster gave up two earned runs in 3 1/3 innings. Coleman Huntley III had a fantastic outing, striking out six and allowing just one walk in three innings. Tyler Ferguson (1/3IP, 2H, 1ER) received the loss, dropping his season record to 1-3.

July 22, Bowling Green wins 6-2
Rome’s offense managed just five hits off the Hot Rods on Thursday night. A Brett Langhorne sacrifice fly brought home Michael Harris II in the fourth, and a fielder’s choice in the ninth allowed Moritz to touch home plate. Bowling Green, on the other hand, scored three runs in the first two innings and three runs in the seventh to pull away for the four-run victory. Moritz (1-3, 2B, R) was the only R-Brave to have an extra base hit while Harris (1-3) drove in one run and scored once.

July 23, Bowling Green wins 5-4
The Hot Rods secured their second walk-off victory of the week in Friday evening’s clash at Bowling Green Ballpark. The two sides entered extra innings tied at 2-2. An RBI single by Michel brought home Brown in the top of the tenth and Bowling Green responded in kind with a run of their own. In the top of the eleventh, a leadoff triple from Harris scored Cody Milligan from second base to give Rome a 4-3 advantage. As fate would have it, Bowling Green was able to score two runs in three at-bats in the bottom of the eleventh, walking it off for their franchise-record eleventh straight win. Brown finished 1-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs while Harris was 2-for-5 with a triple and one run batted in. Michel was 2-for-4 with one RBI as well. Ferguson received the loss (1-4) and a blown save after allowing two runs in the eleventh. Alan Rangel pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up just one earned run one four walks and three hits. He tallied eight strikeouts on the day while the team recorded 18 strikeouts.

July 24, Rome wins 6-5
The R-Braves were able to end a seven-game losing streak on Saturday night in Bowling Green. The Hot Rods struck for two runs in the first inning. Rome finally got on the board two innings later, dropping a three-spot in the top of the third. An RBI single from Moritz, a Milligan triple, and a sacrifice fly by Harris pushed across the three runs to put the Braves out in front. Bowling Green scored three runs over the next two innings to control a 5-3 advantage. Rome’s offense found consistent success in the later innings. Josephina tallied an RBI single in the sixth to drive in Harris, then a triple by Michel tied it in the seventh as Philip came around to score. Garrett Saunders was the hero in the top of the ninth, as a two-out double scored Moritz to give the R-Braves a 6-5 lead. Matt Hartman entered in the ninth, striking out the side to finish the game on a high note. Milligan was 2-for-4 with a triple, one RBI, and one run. Saunders was 1-for-1 with a double and an RBI and Josephina finished 2-for-4 with one run batted in. Jake McSteen allowed five earned runs in five innings on Saturday. Davis Schwab (W, 1-2; 1IP, 1K) picked up the win and Matt Hartman (1IP, 3K) received his first save of 2021.

July 25, Bowling Green wins 8-6
A huge day for Jesse Franklin V was not enough for Rome as they fell by two-runs in the series finale. Franklin crushed a three-run homer first inning and a solo shot in the fourth. A two-run double by Josephina made it 6-2 Rome in the top of the fifth, but then bullpen struggles allowed Bowling Green to come back and win on Sunday night. Franklin (3-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4R) had a huge game at the plate while Josephina (2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R), Langhorne (2-4), and Michel (2-5, R) had two hits each. Vines gave up five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings and recorded eight strikeouts. Coleman Huntley III picked up the loss, moving his season record to 5-4, and tallied his fourth blown save of the season after allowing three earned runs in 1 2/3 innings pitched. Zach Daniels pitched the last inning and struck out two Hot Rods.

Starting Pitcher of the Week
Alan Rangel once again stood out as the top starting pitcher for the R-Braves in Bowling Green. The Mexico native did not receive the win sadly, as Rome fell 5-4 on Friday night, but that was hardly Rangel’s fault. He allowed just one earned run in 4 2/3 innings on four walks and three hits. Rangel also rung up eight Bowling Green batters. He finishes the week with a 1.93 ERA. Rangel is now 3-5 on the year with a 3.85 ERA and has struck out 86 batters in 63 2/3 innings.

Relief Pitcher of the Week
Matt Hartman recently returned from the Injured List and showed out in Kentucky. The right-handed reliever pitched 2 2/3 innings at Bowling Green, allowing one earned run. He allowed zero walks and the only hit he gave up was a home run in Wednesday’s 4-3 defeat. Hartman was called upon again in the ninth inning on Saturday night, striking out the side to sure-up Rome’s only win of the week. That gives the Westmont College product his first save of the season. He’ll look for more opportunities this week as Rome returns home.

Offensive Hitter of the Week
For the first time this season, Shean Michel has earned Offensive Hitter of the Week honors following last week’s road trip to Bowling Green. The Curacao native hit .350 in Kentucky, going 7-for-20 with one double, one triple, one home run, three runs scored, and four runs batted in. He led the team in batting average, total bases (13), on-base percentage (.409), slugging (.650), and OPS (1.059).

Up Next
Rome returns home today (Tuesday, July 27) to open a six-game set with the Asheville Tourists (29-40). First pitch is set for 7 p.m. EDT at State Mutual Stadium. To purchase tickets, please visit RomeBraves.com/Promotions or call the Rome Braves Box Office at 706-378-5144.