Waddell Lifts Rome to Series Win at Bowling Green

In an amazing turnaround series for the good guys, the Rome Braves (46-55) took four out of six games on the road against the Bowling Green Hot Rods (69-33). The victory in Kentucky marked the first series win over the division-leading Hot Rods for the R-Braves.

For Rome, the huge road stand included several big pitching performances and a terrific hot streak by one of the new draft picks.

August 24, Rome wins 5-4
The R-Braves took a close decision in Tuesday’s series-opener. Rome raced out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the third as a Cody Milligan sacrifice fly drove in Rusber Estrada from third base. Although the Hot Rods would rally to score four runs over the course of the next three innings, the road warriors would not back down. Four solo homers in the final three frames- two by Luke Waddell, one from Michael Harris II, and one by Estrada- gave the Braves an exhilarating victory in Kentucky. Waddell was 2-for-4 and tallied his first two professional home runs. Harris finished 3-for-4 with a long-ball while Estrada (2-3, 2 R, RBI) hit his seventh homer of 2021. Drew Campbell went 2-for-4 in his High-A debut. Jake McSteen gave up two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings pitched while striking out seven. Marrick Crouse (1 1/3 IP, 2H, 1BB, 1ER, 4K), Tyler Ferguson (1IP, 1H, 1BB, 2K), and Justin Yeager (2IP, 1H, 1BB, 3K) pitched in relief with the latter earning the victory (W, 1-3).

August 25, Bowling Green wins 8-6 (10 Innings)
Late-inning heroics allowed the Hot Rods to steal a victory in extras on Wednesday night. Rome jumped out in front after a solo homer by Jesse Franklin V in the second inning. The R-Braves added to their lead with back-to-back two-run innings. An RBI triple from Shean Michel allowed Brett Langhorne to score, then Michel came in on a single by Harris later in the third. After a solo blast for BG in the third, Riley Delgado capitalized with runners in scoring position in the top of the fourth as a double scored Waddell and Campbell to make it 5-1. Erik Ostberg homered for the second time for the Hot Rods in the fifth before Rome tallied another insurance run in the seventh, as a sac fly from Michel drove in Delgado. A four-run eighth inning by Bowling Green forced extras, though, and the Hot Rods walked it off with a two-run long-ball to take Game 2. Waddell again led the offense with a 2-for-3 (1 R) performance. Michel was 1-for-4 with 2 RBI while Delgado added two runs batted in and one run scored as he went 2-for-5. Tanner Gordon had a solid outing, recording eight strikeouts and giving up just two earned runs in six innings. Jake Higginbotham (1IP, 1K) and Emmanuel Ramirez (2IP, 2K) combined to toss three scoreless frames. Zach Daniels (0IP) allowed four earned runs and Benjamin Dum (2/3 IP, 1ER) received the loss (0-1).

August 26, Bowling Green wins 2-1
Two-run second inning was all it took for Bowling Green to get it done in Game 3. Rome’s only score came in the top of the fourth when a wild pitch allowed Delgado to score from third base. The R-Braves managed just six hits in the narrow loss on Thursday. Delgado (3-4, BB, R), Milligan (2-3), and Waddell (1-4) were the only R-Braves to reach base on the night. William Woods earned the loss in his first start after giving up two earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. AJ Puckett (3 1/3 IP, 3H, 1BB, 1K), Coleman Huntley III (2IP, 1BB, 2K), and Trey Riley (1IP, 2H) all had solid relief appearances. Unfortunately, the lack of offense spelled doom for Rome, letting Bowling Green take the series lead.

August 27, Rome wins 10-5 (10 Innings)
After a frustrating Game 3 defeat, Rome bounced back in a big way with an unbelievable win under the Friday night lights. An RBI single from Waddell scored Andrew Moritz and put Rome on the board in the fourth inning. The Braves tied it in the sixth with Waddell’s third homer of the week, a solo blast to left center field. The two teams traded long-balls the next few innings, as Waddell once again tied it with his second home run of the night. Down 4-3, the R-Braves rallied thanks to a solo shot from Brett Langhorne to force extras. Then, in the top of the tenth, Rome’s offense exploded for six runs: A double steal allowed Milligan to score, a fielder’s choice brought home Michel, and a grand slam from Carlos Martinez gave the good guys a 10-4 advantage. The Hot Rods would add a run in the bottom of the tenth but still fell by a big margin after the R-Braves’ amazing comeback. Waddell (3-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R), Langhorne (1-4, HR, RBI, R), and Martinez (1-5, Grand Slam, 4 RBI, R) went yard in the win while Moritz (2-5, 2B, R) and Garrett Saunders (2-5) finished with two hits each. Jared Shuster allowed three earned runs with five K’s in 5 2/3 innings, but the win went to Ferguson (W, 3-4; 2IP, 2H, 1ER, 2K). Davis Schwab (1 1/3 IP, 1BB, 2K) and Crouse (1IP, 1H, 1K) also saw action on Friday night.

August 28, Rome wins 4-3
A big fourth inning willed the R-Braves to another key victory on Saturday. Down 1-0, Rome clobbered division-leading Bowling Green for four runs in the top of the fourth and held on for a slim win on Saturday night. Waddell hit another homer, his fifth of the series, and drove in Franklin in the process to make it 2-1. Campbell went yard in the next at-bat, and an RBI groundout from Martinez scored Beau Philip to give Rome a three-run lead. The Hot Rods would make it interesting in the later innings but the Braves’ relievers would shut it down to secure the hard-fought triumph. Waddell was 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBI, and one run while Campbell (1-4, HR, RBI, R) and Philip (1-2, R) also had important performances at the plate. Darius Vines was masterful once again, surrendering two runs in six innings and striking out six Hot Rod batters. He received the win (3-4) while Mitch Stallings (2IP, 2H, 1ER, 2K) picked up his second hold. Yeager recorded his second save of the year after striking out two batters in the final inning with no harm done.

August 29, Rome wins 5-3
Another late comeback propelled the Rome Braves to a win on Sunday afternoon, securing the series victory at Bowling Green. Trailing 2-0 heading into the sixth inning, the R-Braves needed a quick turnaround. Langhorne’s solo homer served as a catalyst for Rome, who scored five runs in the final four innings. Waddell tied it with a sacrifice fly in the seventh, driving in Harris from third base, before a Milligan RBI triple the next inning brought home Martinez to give the Braves their first lead. A two-run four-bagger for Waddell scored Franklin in the top of the ninth served as big insurance runs, allowing for Rome to coast to a two-run win. Waddell (2-3, 3 RBI, R) capped off a massive week by hitting his sixth home run as a Rome Brave. Martinez (2-3, 2B, R) and Milligan (2-4, 3B, R) had two hits each while Franklin (1-4, 2B, R) and Langhorne (1-3, HR, RBI, R) also recorded a hit in the series finale. McSteen allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings while striking out five Bowling Green batters. Dum and Higginbotham (1K) each pitched 2/3 of an inning. Riley (1IP, 3K) earned the win (4-0) while Ramirez (1IP, 1H, 1R, 1K) tallied his first save.

Starting Pitcher of the Week
After recently getting called up from Low-A Augusta, Tanner Gordon was named the Starting Pitcher of the Week after a great start against the Hot Rods on Wednesday night. The Indiana alum pitched six innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits and no walks. He also recorded eight strikeouts against a deadly Bowling Green offense. Gordon finishes the week with a 3.00 ERA and will aim for another solid outing at State Mutual Stadium this week.

Relief Pitcher of the Week
Justin Yeager saw action in two games last week, pitching in relief on Tuesday and Saturday in Kentucky. All he did was pitch about as perfect as one could hope for against the Hot Rod offense in both situations. The Woodridge, Ill., native pitched three innings in Bowling Green, giving up just one hit and one walk. Yeager recorded five strikeouts and opponents hit just .100 against him. The tall right-hander continues to shine in a reliever role for the R-Braves and has posted a 2.63 ERA in 13 2/3 innings pitched in High-A.

Offensive Hitter of the Week

After a scorching six-day stretch in which he batted .545 with six home runs and 10 RBI, Luke Waddell was named High-A East Player of the Week. The 2021 fifth-round pick has also taken home Offensive Hitter of the Week honors for his efforts in Bowling Green. Waddell slashed .545/.560/1.364 and finished the week with an OPS of 1.924. He almost singlehandedly led the Rome Braves offense to their first series victory over Bowling Green this season with his amazing streak. The Georgia Tech product will try to maintain this hot streak as the Braves return home on Wednesday.

Up Next

Following the series win in Kentucky, the R-Braves are now nine games below .500. They are 22.5 games behind first-place Bowling Green, 17.5 games behind second-place Greensboro, and 9 games behind third-place Greenville.

The Rome Braves come back to State Mutual Stadium on Wednesday night to open their penultimate homestand of the regular season. Rome will play the Winston-Salem Dash six times in five days, starting with a doubleheader at 5 p.m. tomorrow evening.

Wednesday's promotion is All-You-Can-Eat Wednesday. Fans who purchase the All-You-Can-Eat Ticket Package, which starts at $36, can enjoy unlimited concessions including hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn, and soda. A limit of two items are permitted each trip to the concession stand.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit RomeBraves.com/Promotions or call the Rome Braves Box Office at 706-378-5144.