Emperors Leave 10 On-Base, Lose by One on Throwback Thursday

ROME, Ga – Eric Hartman’s fly out to centerfield with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning secured a 3-2 win and 2-1 series lead for the ‘Hoppers heading into the weekend.

Briggs McKenzie was much improved Thursday night, allowing just three hits and striking out eight (tying a career-high) over 4.2 innings. The one run surrendered in the top of the first inning went down as unearned after a Dixon Williams throwing error moved Sammy Stafura from first to third. Stafura then scored on Easton Carmichael’s single to left field.

Again, trailing by one through one, Owen Carey’s fifth hit of the series led off the second for Rome. Dixon William’s broken bat single on the infield put two on with nobody out for the bottom third of the order. Then, Luis Sanchez, in his first plate appearance of the series, sent a deep fly ball to right field which brought home Carey, tying the game at one.

The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings saw a grand total of three hits between the two clubs. In the eighth, a two-out homerun from Greensboro’s Murf Gray clanked off the bottom of the video board in left field. The three-four batters of Yordanny De Los Santos and Jhonny Severino the registered back-to-back hits to plate an all-important insurance run for the ‘Hoppers.

In the ninth, with Colin Burgess stationed at third, Tate Southisene at second, and John Gil at first, Eric Hartman lifted Owen Kellington’s 2-1 pitch to shallow center field where Dylan Palmer squeezed the 27th out of the night.

The series between Rome and Greensboro continues Friday with another 6:45PM ET first pitch from AdventHealth Stadium.