(Media release from the Rome Emperors):
On a night when they needed a win, the Rome Emperors came through and delivered a classic 2-1 win over the Wilmington BlueRocks.
Entering the night just one game out of the South Atlantic League South Division’s first place spot, manager Cody Gabella would give the ball to the right-hander out of Virginia Tech Drue Hackenberg. Thursday night’s contest would be the first time Hackenberg would see the BlueRocks as well as the first start from Hackenberg since May 16th when he went four and two thirds of an inning against the Asheville Tourists.
Hackenberg would run into trouble early in the contest as Viandel Pena would rip a double to left field. A wild pitch and a walk to Kevin Made would put runners on the corners in the game’s opening frame. However, Hackenberg would reach for something extra and fan former Rome player Trey Harris to end the top half of the first.
Hackenberg’s run support would come in the form of an Adam Zebrowski homer in the home half of the first inning. Zebrowski’s third long-ball of the year was just his first at home, making him just the second Emperor to homer within the confines of AdventHealth Stadium.
The two runs of support would be all Rome’s pitching staff would need, as Shay Schanaman and Jared Johnson would combine for five punch outs over two scoreless frames to secure the win for the Emperors.
The two to one run victory is Rome’s twenty-first of the season, and inches them ever closer to the first place spot in the SAL South.
Wilmington and Rome will pick back up on Friday evening with a 7:00pm first pitch. Mitch Farris is slated to make his AdventHealth Stadium debut.
The teams’ series will continue through the weekend; the first pitch is slated for 5 pm on Saturday and 1 pm on Sunday. For tickets and more information, visit www.goemperors.com.
