(Media release from the Rome Emperors):
After dropping the first two to the Tourists, the Emperors plated 32 runs in final three games to win their first road series of the season in AsheVegas.
Game One: Tourists 4, Emperors 2
Ten days removed from a dazzling debut against Hickory, Drue Hackenberg faced a very different result in game one of the series against Asheville Tuesday night. A second inning two-run homerun from Asheville’s Garrett Guillemette was to blame for Hackenberg’s losing decision. Hackenberg faced 20 batters over 3.2 innings, giving up four hits and three walks while striking out five. Houston’s no.11 overall prospect and no.5 pitching prospect, Jake Bloss, scattered two hits in 4.1 innings, both were doubles to Ethan Workinger and Justin Janas. Janas’ second double of the game off Joey Mancini brought home both of Rome’s runs in the top of the seventh. Sabin Ceballos and Ambioris Tavarez also recorded hits in the series opener.
Game Two: Tourists 15, Emperors 12
Rome registered a season-high 13 hits including six doubles and three homeruns in game two of the series but a five-run bottom of the eighth inning sank the Emperors, 15-12. Justin Janas, Ethan Workinger, and Adam Zebrowski all notched their first longballs of the season, Zebrowski’s coming in grand slam fashion in the top of the eighth to give Rome a 12-10 lead. Asheville’s Cam Fisher made history in becoming just the third Tourist in the last two decades to record a three-homer night, coming up a grand slam shy of the homerun cycle. In his second start of the year, Lucas Braun recorded just two outs after spotting Asheville six runs in the first. Strickland, Schanaman, and Griswold each worked multiple innings to get to Munoz in the 8th who was charged with his second blown save and first losing decision of the year.
Janas: 2-for-3 HR, 2B, RBI, R
Strickland: 2.1IP, 2H, 3SO
Workinger: 2-for-4, HR, 4RBI, 2R
Zebrowski: 2-for-5, HR, 4RBI, R
Game Three: Emperors 8, Tourists 5
The Emperors needed just one hit to plate three runs in the top of the first. Kilpatrick Jr. singled, Ceballos walked, and Workinger was struck with a pitch before Zebrowski and Paolini recorded outs, but manufactured runs in consecutive at-bats. Up 3-1 in the fifth, Rome’s Nick Clarno doubled to right field and would come around to score on a Kilpatrick Jr. double a few batters later. The ‘Emps would tack-on one more in the sixth and two more in the seventh on Stephen Paolini’s first of two doubles in the game. In a 7-5 ballgame, it was Workinger who added insurance with a solo shot to center, his second of the season. Daniel Martinez in his first High-A start of 2024 pitched well enough for a win but fell an inning shy of meeting the requirements for a decision, going 4.0 innings while allowing just one hit and one earned run. Landon Harper was the win recipient after 3.0 innings out of the pen. Bourassa and Joseph picked up the hold and save respectively.
Joseph: IP, 3SO, SV
Kilpatrick Jr.: 3-for-5, RBI, R
Paolini: 2-for-4, 2 2B, 3RBI
Ward: 2-for-4 2B, R
Workinger: 2-for-3, HR, 3R, RBI
Game Four: Emperors 14, Tourists 11
Kevin Kilpatrick Jr.’s first four-hit game since he was an Augusta GreenJacket in 2022 aided Rome tremendously in game four. The lead-off center fielder followed up Justin Janas’ second homer of the year by smacking a two-run double to right field in the fourth to give the ‘Emps a 4-2 lead. The very next inning it was Ambioris Tavarez who notched his first round-tripper of the season, a three-run bomb to center field to push the lead to five runs. Kilpatrick would drive in two more runs on his second double in as many innings, scoring Ward and Celedonio to make it 9-2 in the 5th. Nick Clarno would add a two-run homer in the eighth to make it 14-5.
Owen Murphy made his first road start of the season and aside from two mistakes, one to Cam Fisher and another to Tyler Whitaker, the young right-hander was again explosive. Murphy struck out a season-high 11 Tourists and walked just two, picking up his second winning decision of the season. A five-run bottom of the ninth made things interesting for the Emperors pen but Jared Johnson recorded the final two outs and picked up his second save.
Clarno: 2-for-4, HR, 3RBI, 3R
Janas: 3-for-5, HR, RBI, 3R
Kilpatrick Jr.: 4-for-6, 3 2B, 4RBI, R
Tavarez: 2-for-6, HR, 3RBI, R
Game Five: Emperors 10, Tourists 4
Kilpatrick and Paolini, the one-two batters in Rome’s order, went back-to-back in the top of the third inning to give Spencer Schwellenbach a 2-0 lead. That lead would stretch out to five runs in the top of the fifth after a triple from Kilpatrick and some help from the Asheville defense who committed four errors in the game. Holding onto a 6-4 lead in the ninth, run-scoring singles from Adam Zebrowski and Justin Janas gave Rolddy Munoz insurance for the home half of the inning.
Schwellenbach moved to 2-0 on the year after going 5.1 innings, surrendering four hits and three earned runs while striking out eight. His college teammate Shay Schanaman was first out of the pen in relief before handing the ball to Munoz who would pick up his first save.
Kilpatrick Jr.: 2-for-5, HR, 3B, 3RBI, 2R
Paolini: 1-for-4, HR, 3R, 2RBI
Zebrowski: 2-for-4, R, RBI
Game Six: Postponed (Inclement Weather)
Game six will be made up as a part of doubleheader on Thursday, May 16th when Rome returns to Asheville.
The Emperors sit atop the South Atlantic League South Division standings with a record of 8-5 heading into a six-game series against the Winston-Salem Dash. The series begins Tuesday at 7:00pm EDT.
