(Media release from the Rome Braves):
The Rome Braves stayed hot on Thursday night, as they blanked the defending SAL Champions for their third straight win.
Daniel Martinez got the starting nod from manager Angel Flores, as Rome looked to notch their longest winning streak of the 2023 campaign so far. Martinez would start off strong, and hurl four and two thirds of an inning of shutout baseball. While fanning four Hot Rod hitters, Martinez would lower his season earned run average to 1.74.
Martinez’s work would set the stage for reliever Hunter Riggins out of the pen, and Riggins would pick up right where Martinez left off. The two Rome hurlers would combine for nine innings of shutout baseball, eight strike outs, and seven hits. Riggins would be credited with his first win of the season.
Rome would strike first on Thursday night as back to back triples from Stephen Paolini and Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. would plate the game’s first run. Despite only needing the one, the Braves offense would tack on two more before the night was over thanks to an RBI single from the hot-hitting Drake Baldwin. Baldwin, Atlanta’s top catching prospect according to MLB.com, notched his twelfth run batted in on Thursday night. Both Baldwin and Kilpatrick have hit safely in all three games of the series against Bowling Green.
Rome’s three run to none win on Thursday night is their eleventh of the year, and their third straight. The win is also their fifth straight over the defending champion Bowling Green Hot Rods, dating back to their mid-April series in the Bluegrass State. The Braves are now in third place in the South Atlantic League’s South Division, trailing first place Winston-Salem by five and a half games.
The Braves and Hot Rods are slated to continue their six game series tonight with a 7:00pm first pitch.
