Final score – Hickory 9, Rome 3
(Media release from the Rome Braves):
The Rome Braves and Hickory Crawdads met up for game two of their six game series for a 1:00 PM first pitch on Wednesday, with lefty Dylan Dodd getting the ball for the Braves.
Dodd would enter the Wednesday matinee contest with six wins under his belt, and a sub three earned run average in the month of June. The opening frames of Wednesday’s contest would show signs of a serious pitcher’s duel. Dodd would deal through the first three innings, holding the hot-hitting Crawdads to no runs through the first three frames. Hickory’s Ricky Vanasco would go three and a third of an inning while only giving up three hits. He would get the hook in the bottom of the fourth with runners in scoring position for the Braves.
Hickory would break the threshold in the top of the fourth with runs batted in from both Angel Aponte and Frainyer Chavez, putting them out in front by a score of four runs to none. Rome would start to mount a comeback in the later innings with home runs from Vaughn Grissom and Bryson Horne, but Luisangel Acuna would single to plate two more runs for the Crawdads. Another single and a balk would add two more to Hickory’s tally, giving them a nine to two lead headed into the stretch.
Dylan Dodd would be the story of the night for the Braves, going six and a third of an inning while giving up only two earned runs and striking out seven. Dodd has now made four starts in the month of June, and has gone six or more innings in three of them.
The ninth inning would see Jacob Pearson hit his second homer in as many days, but the Braves would go rather quietly in the home half of the ninth. Rome would go on to fall by a final score of nine runs to three, giving them their thirtieth loss of the 2022 campaign. Rome and Hickory will square up once again on Thursday night for a 7:00 PM first pitch, with righty Andrew Hoffmann on the mound for the Braves.