(Media release from the Rome Emperors):
Four pitchers combined to throw fourteen scoreless innings Thursday against the Winston-Salem Dash as the Emperors took both games of the doubleheader, 4-0.
Game One: Emperors 4, Dash 0 (7 innings)
Luis Vargas shined in his 2024 Rome debut, hurling six shutout innings while scattering three hits and striking out seven. Both starters went punch for punch through the first four innings. Tanner McDougal was equally as dominant up until the fifth inning when Drew Compton’s first High-A hit came in double form. E.J. Exposito’s first triple of the summer followed and drove in Compton from second. A wild pitch during Stephen Paolini’s subsequent at-bat brought home Exposito, making it 2-0. Insurance came in the form of a Ceballos triple and Adam Zebrowski RBI single in the sixth.
Vargas faced 21 batters and needed just 74 pitches to get through six complete. Samuel Strickland faced the minimum in the seventh inning, striking out two in the process.
Game Two: Emperors 4, Dash 0 (7 innings)
The lineup picked up right where in left off in game one, tallying two extra-base hits in the home half of the first, one from Ceballos and another from Compton. An Exposito single marked the third hit of a two run first for Rome. Another double from Nick Clarno would bring home Bryson Worrell in the second to make it 3-0.
Mitch Farris turned in his third consecutive quality start, spanning five innings and giving up just two hits. Like Vargas, Farris was efficient. Even with six strikeouts, Farris fired just 68 pitches. Jared Johnson picked up his league-leading sixth save of the season after two scoreless frames to wrap-up game two.
Winston-Salem bats were 5-for-45 (.111) with 17 strikeouts Thursday. Rome holds a two-game lead over second-place Bowling Green heading into Friday night’s game four.
