Rome Sweeps Hub City on Saturday

Rain postponed the second game as the Pastimes of the season — forcing a double header on Saturday.

Ismael Agreda (0-2, 5.22 ERA) got the start in game one opposite Cedric de Grandpre (3-2, 5.13). Agreda struggled right off the rip, giving up consecutive singles to Isaiah Drake and John Gil and a walk to Eric Hartman, which loaded the bases. After striking out Dixon Williams, Cody Miller singled to center, scoring two. Agreda went on to sandwich a walk between two more K’s, leaving the bases loaded to make for a 2-0 Rome lead before Hub City ever got to come to the plate.

DeGrandpre allowed a base runner in each of the first two innings —a 1 out hit by pitch to Rafe Perich in the first and a one out single from Maxton Martin in the second. But, both times, he was able to get around with an inning-ending double play.

On the other hand, Agreda settled in and tossed back to back clean innings, notching two more strikeouts along the way. That was rewarded in the bottom of the third.

Quincy Scott drew a leadoff walk and Luke Hanson singled on the infield with one away. After Yeison Morrobel was rung up for the 2nd out, Rafe Perich mashed a no doubt three run rocket into the grass beyond the visitor bullpen. Malcolm Moore would later ground out to 2nd to end the inning, but the Pastimes held a 3-2 lead heading to the fourth.

Unfortunately, things unraveled on Agreda there thanks to a pair of errors. Jones led off with a walk and Logan Braunschweig grounded to third, booted by Figuereo for the first error. After whiffing Mason Guerra for the first out, Mac Guscette drew a walk to load the bases, later being forced out at 2nd on a game-tying fielder’s choice off the bat of Drake, who reached on the play. Gil followed it with a three run homer to the berm and Eric Hartman reached on a fielding error charged to Luke Hanson when he booted a hard-hit grounder right at him. Williams made that error hurt with an RBI double, making it 7-3 in favor of the Emperors.

The Pastimes got one back in the home half of the inning, cashing in a Rome fielding error that allowed Paxton Kling to reach to lead off. With one down, Figuereo singled, later to advance along with Kling on a wild pitch. Quincy Scott grounded out to third to drive in Kling, cutting the deficit to 7-4 heading to the fifth.

The score held there thanks to scoreless innings from Cole Roland, Adrian Rodriguez, and Case Matter. Roland had to work out of a jam with two on and one out after an errant throw on a comebacker from Logan Braunschweig and a walk to Mason Guerra. They both ended up in scoring position on a double steal but were left on as Mac Guscette popped up to 2nd and Drake struck out.

Rodriguez and Matter’s frames had much less drama, both notching clean innings to ensure things held at a three run deficit. On the flipside, DeGrandpre would go on to toss 6 complete, surrendering just one more base runner over his last three frames on a one out single from Kling.

The Pastimes mounted a threat off lefty reliever Jacob Kroeger in the bottom of the seventh after a leadoff walk to Scott and a single to follow from Carter Garate. But, Luke Hanson grounded into a 6-4-3 twin killing, advancing Scott to third. Morrobel drew a walk, but in the end, Perich anticlimactically hit a comebacker to end the game for the 7-4 series-evening win for Rome.

The second game — in which the Spartanburgers played as the Spartan Regiment for the first time, started off in very similar fashion to the first. Joe Adametz (2-3, 6.29 ERA) gave up a leadoff single to Drake and walked Gil. After rebounding to get the next two batters out, Cody Miller delivered a two-run 2-strike double to the left field corner, making for a 2-0 deficit heading to the bottom of the opening frame.

The Regiment would struggle at the plate against Rome right hander Cade Kuehler, mustering just two base runners off him through the first four innings — both of which were left aboard.

The Spartan Regiment’s first major threat of the game came in the bottom of the fifth when Ben Hartl drew a leadoff walk and Chandler Pollard singled with one away. Antonis Macias followed with a base hit to right. However, on the throw-in to third from the right fielder, the ball sailed high. It caromed back to the third baseman off the dugout railing, leading to Hartl being gunned out in what would become an unconventional 5-2-3 double play as Macias was gunned out at first.

Fortunately, Adametz settled in from there, working four consecutive three up three down innings before running into trouble in the top of the sixth. Drake led it off with a single and Hartman was beaned with 1 away. But, a 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Williams quelled the threat and kept the game at 2-0.

The Regiment once again squandered a chance in the ensuing half inning after consecutive one out walks to Perich and Kling when Figuereo grounded to 2nd and Theo Hardy popped up to center. The squandered chances made for a hard road in the bottom of the 7th.

Adametz gave way to Kai Wynyard, who after striking out his first batter, walked Will Verdung. Right fielder Jake Steels singled with two out and designated hitter Austin Machado followed with a 2 run double to the left field corner, upping the lead to 4-0 heading to the last call.

In the end, the Emperors went on to sweep the twin bill with a 4-0 shutout as the Spartan Regiment went down in order anticlimactically in the bottom of the 7th.

The series wraps up Sunday night as DJ McCarty (0-2, 6.85) faces an arm yet to be named. First pitch is set for 6:35 PM as the Burgers look to salvage a split in the series.