Ian Anderson Leashes RiverDogs; Braves Win 9-2
A night after squandering an early 8-3 lead, the Rome Braves got five outstanding innings of work out of Ian Anderson to down the Charleston RiverDogs, 9-2. Anderson allowed just 2-hits and no runs in that span, and Juan Yepez had 4-hits to lead the offense.
Anderson set the stage for what kind of night he was going to have when he struck out the side in the top of the first. He would retire the first nine batters of the game, six by strikeout, before yielding a walk to start the fourth.
Jio Orozco looked nearly as impressive for the RiverDogs early on, allowing just a hit and a walk through the first two frames. However, in the third, the Rome Braves would take the lead.
Back-to-back singles by Randy Ventura and Marcus Mooney started the inning and Anfernee Seymour was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Derian Cruz then grounded to first, but Brandon Wagner could not handle the play, allowing Cruz to reach and two runners to score. Seymour would later score in the inning on a groundout and it was 3-0 after three.
In the fifth, Rome extended their lead to six. Once again, it was back-to-back singles that got this inning started, this time by Cruz and Cristian Pache. With Yepez at the plate, Cruz was thrown out trying to steal third. Yepez followed with a double that moved Pache to third. A sacrifice fly scored Pache and a wild pitch brought Yepez across the plate to make it 5-0. Kurt Hoekstra followed by drawing a walk, and he scored when Brett Cumberland drilled a double to the wall in center.
In the sixth the lead would become seven. Mooney was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Seymour then beat out a ground ball for a single to make it first and second and no one out. A fly out moved up both runners and Yepez singled home Mooney to make it 7-0.
14Juan Yepez: 4-5, R, RBIThe RiverDogs hitters had no answers through seven, but would finally get on the board in the eighth. Three straight singles would get the inning going. Carlos Vidal and Eduardo Navas got it started with base hits, and Hoy Jun Park singled to center to score Vidal to make it 7-1. Diego Castillo hit into a double-play that left Navas at third and Blake Rutherford walked to put runners at the corners with two down. Brandon Wagner then struck out in what should have been the third out of the inning, but the ball got away from catcher Tanner Murphy, allowing Wagner to reach first and Navas to score. That made it 7-2.
The Braves responded in the bottom half of the inning. After Cruz reached on an error, Pache and Yepez singled to load the bases with no one out. Muprhy then drilled a hard single to left that scored Cruz and Pache scored on a ground out to make it 9-2. That would be the final.
Ian Anderson (1-0) pitched five outstanding innings, allowing just 2-hits and 2-walks. He struck out 8. Juan Yepez was 4-5 with a run and an RBI for the Rome Braves. Tanner Murphy drove in 2. For the Charleston RiverDogs, Oswaldo Cabrerra, Carlos Vidal, and Eduardo Navas each had 2-hits. Hoy Jun Park had the lone RBI.
These two teams will face off again on Saturday. Brian Keller will go for Charleston against Joey Wentz.
By Robert Pannier