Out of the running
A 7-2 loss eliminates the Rome Braves from winning a first-half title.
A 7-2 loss eliminates the Rome Braves from winning a first-half title.
When they started their homestand, the Rome Braves held a slim chance to come back in the South Atlantic League playoff race. And after one bad night, that chance is gone.
After allowing an early rally and struggling to get on base most of the night, Rome lost to the Augusta Green Jackets 7-2 on Thursday night at State Mutual Stadium. Augusta outhit the Braves 20-4 in a game that could’ve been a blowout.
More importantly, the loss puts Rome three games back of the SAL Southern Division leader Columbia Fireflies and 2.5 back of the Greenville Drive in the hunt for the first half title. With Columbia holding the tiebreaker on
Rome, this eliminates the Braves from the playoff race, at least for the first half of the season.
“When you give up 20 hits and you commit five errors, it usually is not going to be a pretty scene,”
Rome manager Randy Ingle said. “It was just one of those nights that happen to any team.”
Cristian Pache was the only Rome player to reach base more than once, recording two singles, a walk and a run scored. Justin Ellison brought in the only RBIs of the game with a two-run triple in the seventh inning.
Augusta’s first four batters reached base, as Jean Angomas and Skyler Ewing each recorded RBI singles to take a quick 2-0 lead. While one of those runners was caught stealing, the Green Jackets added two more singles to go up 3-0 after the first.
Alan Rangel started his second game for Rome after getting a call-up from the GCL Braves on June 7.
While he gave up 10 hits in four innings, he managed to escape his final three innings with no runs allowed.
“I’m very proud of Alan after that first inning, it showed me a lot,” Ingle said.
“Once he recovered he began to throw the ball really well. He never let the game get away from him, and there were definitely moments where he could have.”
For most of the game, the Braves didn’t know what to do against Augusta starting pitcher Dominic Mazza.
Rome recorded just one hit and two baserunners through the first six innings, as Mazza finished with four hits allowed and seven strikeouts in seven innings.
While Mazza had recorded only two wins all season, the lefty made history when he threw the first ever perfect game in SAL history in April 25.
And just three weeks before on May 27, Mazza threw seven scoreless innings on Rome in an eventual 1-0 Augusta victory.
While the Braves stayed in the playoff race until tonight, the two teams ahead of them in the Southern division have been battling in a three-game series.
Columbia ultimately took two of three from Greenville to take a half-game series lead entering the weekend.
But none of that has concerned the Braves, who have not played either team for the past two weeks. Now, even with the team out of the race, Ingle is ready to play spoilers against Greenville.
“We are still going to go out and try to win each of those games this weekend, whether we are spoiler or whatever,” Ingle said.
“We are still going to do what we can to win, and that’s how it should be. Greenville is going to have to come in and earn those wins.”
The Rome Braves play again tonight against Greenville with first pitch scheduled at 7 p.m.