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Rome starts the season with a win featuring solid hitting and pitching.

Getting a win in the season opener is a good feeling for any baseball team. Doing so while getting double-digit hits and regularly causing the other team’s batters trouble only amplifies it.

Rome Braves baseball made its 2018 debut at State Mutual Stadium on Thursday night and brought with it an emphatic crowd to go with the emphatic talent that led to a 5-2 win over the Hagerstown Suns.

A three-run second inning put the Braves on the path to an opening day win, with Drew Waters and Jean Carlos Encarnacion both making impressive Rome debuts, as did starting pitcher Kyle Muller.

Encarnacion went 2 for 4 with a double, while Waters went 2 for 3 with a triple.

The former Etowah High School standout was hit by a pitch on his first time up to the plate, but grounded one just fair to right field his next time

up for his first hit as a Rome Brave.

“It was a good feeling,” Waters said. “I got down early and battled back in the count. Once I got it down the line it was a sigh of relief.”

Muller struck out five and allowed just two hits and two runs in 3 1/3 innings. He was lifted after 65 pitches and replaced by Tanner Allison, who got the win by holding the Suns scoreless through the sixth and striking out one.

Alan Rangel struck out two and allowed just one hit in the seventh, while Thomas Burrows worked the final two innings, striking out four and keeping the Suns hitless.

“I got to see some of it down in spring training and all of the guys on the field can really play,” Waters said. “Even they guys who didn’t play tonight could be playing on any other team. Everyone can hit. Everyone can play D. It’s just a matter of when we’re going to do it and if we can do it throughout the season.”

The second inning saw the Braves properly welcome the new season as they took the 3-2 lead with a three-run rally that was initiated by Encarnacion, who outran a throw from third on a grounder to pick up Rome’s first hit of the season.

Kurt Hoekstra drew a walk, setting the stage for Isranel Wilson to hit one to the warning track in right center that went off the glove of Hagerstown’s Armond Upshaw on the reach. Encarnacion and Hoekstra crossed the plate and Wilson posted a triple.

Derian Cruz kept things going with a grounder into right field to score Encarnacion, but Cruz was caught stealing during the next at-bat to end the inning.

Waters blasted a ground ball down the first-base line and into the right field corner to lead off the bottom of the third for a triple.

He then scored when a low-and-slow base hit to third by Drew Lugbauer was bobbled by the Suns’ third baseman as he attempted a throw to first to put Rome up 4-2.

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Riley Delgado hit a low liner to left field that rolled to Hagerstown’s Nick Banks, who missed the ball on the scoop. It kept going to the wall and Delgado kept going to third with Garrison Schwartz scoring from second to make it 5-2.

Rome continues its season-opening homestand tonight with Game 2 against Hagerstown. First pitch is at 7 p.m.

Steven Eckhoff / RN-T Rome’s Garrison Schwartz (right) dives back to first as the ball gets past Hagerstown’s Anderson Franco during the eight inning of Thursday’s game at State Mutual Stadium. The Braves took down the Suns 5-2.

Steven Eckhoff / RN-T Rome’s Drew Waters watches his hit to lead off the third inning against Hagerstown during Thursday’s game.

Steven Eckhoff / RN-T Rome’s Isranel Wilson rounds second on his way to third for a triple in the second inning of Thursday’s game.

Steven Eckhoff / RN-T Rome pitcher Kyle Muller delivers to the plate against Hagerstown during Thursday’s game.