BY JOHNNY WILSON
Sports Correspondent
BRISTOL, Va. – In baseball’s so-called year of the pitcher, the Princeton Rays are doing their best to play along.
The Rays’ hurlers shut down Bristol again Sunday night at Bryce Cox Field, dazzling with a 7-1 Appalachian League win over the White Sox to claim the three-game weekend series.
Saturday night the Rays blanked the BriSox 2-0, behind starter Jacob Partridge.
“I don’t know that it was anything we did or didn’t do out there,” said Bristol manager Ryan Newman. “I just think they’ve just thrown two pretty good lefties at us. We just ran into two pretty good arms
that quieted our bats.
“This guy they started tonight [Enny Romero], I looked at his opening-night start and he threw seven shutout innings. This is a good arm on a kid who has a pretty good idea of what he’s doing out there.”
Romero, a 19-year-old native of the Dominican Republic, pitched six innings of two-hit ball, striking out seven and walking two.
“You saw one of our top prospects out there tonight,” Princeton pitching coach Marty DeMerritt, a 39-year baseball veteran, said of Romero. “I hope to God he stays healthy. If he can stay healthy he has
a chance to do this thing right.’’
Romero and Bristol starter Ryan Buch went toe-to-toe through six innings, both leaving the game with the score tied at 1-1.
Buch, who allowed just three hits in his time on the mound, and reliever Josh Billeaud got the BriSox through to the eighth inning before Princeton exploded to win going away.
Jarrett Casey relieved in the top of the eighth and ran into immediate trouble in the form of a Todd Glaesmann double. Ruben Contreras then plated the go-ahead run with a double, before Hector Guevara
made it a 3-1 game with an RBI single.
A booted two-out grounder by third baseman Rangel Ravelo opened the flood gates to four unearned runs before the inning would end.
Leonardo Reginatto’s two-run single made it a 7-1 game.
The uprising made a winner out of reliever Matthew Gilson, who pitched 1 2/3 innings before giving way to Chris Rearick. The Princeton staff allowed just three hits and struck out 10 batters.
“We’ve got a nice blend of kids out there,” said DeMerritt. “Our starting staff averages 19 to 20 years old and our bullpen is mostly college kids.
“So far – and I say so far – things are looking very good.”
The BriSox head to Johnson City tonight to begin a three-game series.
Princeton, which got a solo home run from Bryan Fogle, and Bristol both have 2-4 records on the young season.
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