Final score – Rome 8, Hickory 6
(Media release from the Rome Braves):
Brandon Parker’s three RBI night and Davis McCabe’s two-out, two-RBI double in the eighth lifted the Braves over the division leading Hickory Crawdads Tuesday night.
Hickory (14-4, 41-38) cracked the run column in the top of the third, plating one off Rome starter Jorge Bautista. A walk to Ethan Workinger in the home half followed by Brandon Parker’s fourth longball of the year provided a swift response and put the Braves (10-9, 40-45) in front by one.
Three more of Hickory’s 14 hits came in the fifth and generated three more runs for the ‘Dads. Trailing 4-2, the newly called-up Justin Janas registered his first High-A hit: a double down the left field line. Walks to Adam Zebrowski and Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. set the table for Nacho Alvarez to record RBIs no. 52 and 53 of the summer on a single to center. A wild pitch would score another to put the Braves up 6-4 entering the seventh.
The ’Dads would not go quietly into the night. One run in the seventh and another in the eighth would once again knot the game up at six apiece. With two outs in what ended up being Rome’s last at-bat, David McCabe’s fifth double as a Rome Brave would score Nacho and Drake Baldwin and set-up a save opportunity for the Braves pen in the ninth.
Jorge Bautista’s high-A debut lasted 4.2 innings. The Dominican Republic native surrendered three earned runs and struck out six. JJ Niekro was first in relief and his outing spanned 2.1 innings. The eighth and ninth belonged Triple-A rehabber Jackson Stephens and closer Rob Griswold. The win belonged to the Oxford native Stephens and the save to Griswold, his sixth.
The Braves have won 3-of-4 since the All-Star break and are back in action Wednesday. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 pm EDT.
