With 2 Outs To Go, Bristol Falls

BY JOSH FLOYD
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

BRISTOL, Va. – With Bristol starter Po-Yu Lin firing seven shutout innings and the locals providing five runs of productive offense Tuesday at DeVault Stadium, victory seemed all but a formality – especially with just two outs remaining in Danville’s tank.

But the game of baseball doesn’t always adhere to formalities and certainties.

Down 5-0 and making a beeline for their fourth consecutive setback, the Braves struck for an uncanny six runs and seven hits against the Bristol bullpen, turning a sour start to their six-game road trip into a joyous 6-5 Appalachian League decision.

“What a comeback,” said Danville manager Paul Runge. “All of a sudden, we started coming back to life a little bit in the last couple of innings. You never know what can happen in a game, and tonight was a perfect example.”

After a sizzling 12-3 start, Danville has run into some definitive road bumps. In fact, the Braves entered the border city having lost three of their previous four series, eventually giving way to front-runner Pulaski for the East Division’s top spot.

“We’ve hit a little bit of a lull in the season, and we’ve struggled,” said Runge, whose squad fell behind 11-1 Monday in an 11-6 loss against the Sox. “Hopefully, a win like this will give us a big lift.”

The nearly improbable role reversal started calmly enough with consecutive one-out singles from Chais Fuller (2-for-3) and L.V. Ware. While subsequent singles from Shayne Moody (3-for-4) and Chris Shehan (2-for-4) broke up the shutout bid, Sox reliever Murillo Gouvea pushed Lin’s effort to the brink of victory after forcing Gerardo Rodriguez into an RBI fielder’s choice.

That brought up Jon Gilmore, who represented the tying run. Gilmore’s RBI double made it 5-3, while Mathew Kennelly’s two-run single up the middle brought Danville (17-11) even with the hard-luck Sox – now 0-7 in one-run contests during July.

“Any time you can bring the potential tying or winning run to the plate, you’ve done a heckuva job giving yourself a chance,” Runge admitted. “That’s exactly what we did tonight. We just need to keep battling and keep hanging in there.

The guys responded well, especially being down 5-0 going into the last inning. They really showed me something tonight.”

Kuyaunnis Miles, meanwhile, displayed his grit and hustle moments later. Following a passed ball, Miles chopped a 2-2 offering from Bristol reliever Chad Dawson off the plate and beat the rap for an infield hit and the game-winning swing.

“When I saw it bounce, I knew I had to get down the line and try to beat it out,” said Miles. “I just wanted to make it a good play.”

Despite enjoying a rather comfortable advantage for most of Monday’s series opener, Bristol manager Bobby Thigpen took note of Danville’s relentless effort. The Braves battled back with five runs over the remaining five innings and were a play or two away from pulling off a feat similar to Tuesday’s surge.

“Last night, they were down by a bunch, but they didn’t quit,” Thigpen said. “You have to credit the Braves. They kept coming back ... and we tried to warn the guys today about that before we started. But you can only say the same stuff over and over. They’ve got to learn to absorb some of this information.”

Lin put forth his best effort of the season, limiting the Braves to just four hits during his 93-pitch performance.

“[Lin] kept the hitters off-balance and did a great job for us,” said Thigpen, who will go with Joucer Martinez in tonight’s series finale. “He moved the ball around in the zone and kept changing speeds. That’s the name of the game.”

Andrew Garcia and Kenneth Gilbert, who delivered a solo homer in the fourth, supplied two hits apiece for the Sox (11-11).

Danville 000 000 006–6 12 1
Bristol 100 202 000–5 9 1
Hodges, McMillan (6), Kimbrel (8) and Sucre. Lin, Gouvea (8), Dawson (9) and Santos. W - Kimbrel (2-0). L - Dawson (0-1). S - None. HR - Gilbert (B), 4th, none on.