BriSox Split Two With Danville in Appy Action

BRISTOL, Va. – Talk about on-the-fly reaction time.

As Bristol’s Ryan Lee and Jeffer Patino took their leads off first and second, respectively, during the ninth inning of Saturday’s scoreless duel against Danville, teammate Kyle Davis squared around to attempt a sacrifice bunt with no outs against crafty southpaw Chris Masters.

But as Masters started his delivery towards home, Lee – who saw Braves’ shortstop Mycal Jones break towards third as part of a strategic-placed wheel play – enthusiastically informed Davis about the potential sac bunt killer with a audible yell.

And in the blink of an eye, Davis snapped into immediate aggression. The Ewing, N.J., native subsequently turned on a inside fastball from Masters, mashing it well over the drawn-in outfield for a walk-off RBI single and a dramatic 1-0 win in the opener of a double-header at DeVault Stadium.

“Our pitching was outstanding … plus our defense played well,” said Bristol manager Ryan Newman. “When you do that, you’re going to be in ball games. We were able to do that long enough to give us a chance to score – and it was outstanding.”

The East Division front-runners, however, exacted retribution in the second game, battering BriSox pitching to the tune of nine hits en route to a 4-1 victory.

After not having played since Tuesday’s suspended game against Greeneville due to unusual, yet consistent July rains, Bristol’s offense had little spark against Masters. Featuring
a twisting motion that kept the ball hidden for most of his wind-up, the lefty from Marietta, Ga. needed just 74 pitches to make it through eight frames – with only two BriSox swats reaching the outfield.

Ironically, even though Bristol (15-21) continued to struggle for solid swings against Masters in the ninth, two fortunate breaks shined towards the hosts. Patino was fooled on a sweeping breaker for a third strike, but the ball bounced away from catcher Jace Whitmer. Whitmer’s attempt to throw out Patino at first then sailed high of a leaping Riaan Spanjer-Furstenburg.

Lee then stepped up to the plate in sacrifice mode, squaring early against Masters. However, Lee’s short pop of his bunt just eluded a diving Masters in front of the mound – putting two on with no outs.

That set the stage for Davis, who had fanned twice in three tries against Masters. But instead of hoping for a relief pitcher to trot out from the Braves’ bullpen, Davis was optimistic about his fourth chance.

“[Masters] did a good job out there working the strike zone, keeping us off-balance,” Davis noted. “But I was more than happy that they kept him in there, especially since I had seen him during my previous at-bats. He threw me good pitches before, and I felt like I was on it.”

Davis never flinched. His drive on the first pitch would’ve gone for a double in most circumstances, but the game-winning poke will forever be known as a single. Nevertheless, it
didn’t curb collective team emotions, as Davis was mobbed by his teammates between first and second base.

“I was able to get the bat out there and put a pretty good swing on it,” noted Davis. “Things worked out tonight. We’re just happy to get the win, and we’ll go from there.”

About the only thing that didn’t turn out rosy for the locals was another timely hit from Brady Shoemaker. Shoemaker, who came into the double-header with a staggering 28-game hitting streak, went 0-for-3 with a strikeout during game one.

Meanwhile, the BriSox pitching trio of Freddy Garcia, Philip Negus and Santos Rodriguez limited the Braves (26-13) to just two hits. Garcia, making his second rehab start after being acquired by Chicago, was nearly untouchable, requiring a miniscule 45 pitches to record 15 outs while allowing just one hit.

“I’m happy with what happened today,” said Garcia, who continues to pitch pain-free during his progression and hopeful return to the majors. “I had a good sinker, and that’s the pitch I want out there all the time. I had good movement with it. But in rookie ball, they really like to swing it, so you’ve got to be able to move the ball and get ahead of them quickly.”

Danville was able to even the three-game series in game two behind the effort from left-hander Brett Oberholtzer, who limited the Sox to just one run on four hits while striking out seven. L.V. Ware went 3-for-3 for the Braves, who scored three times in the opening two frames.

Shoemaker, who went 2-for-3 in the second game, doubled home teammate Dan Wagner in the seventh to break Oberholtzer’s shutout bid. Danville reliever Julio Surniach then entered and proceeded to plunk Robert Vaughn, putting the potential tying run at the plate. But Surniach promptly got Anthony Casario to ground out while subsequently striking out pinch-hitter Leighton Pangilinan to record his third save.

SOX NOTES: In his first rehab start with the Chicago organization, Garcia pitched three innings of scoreless baseball last Sunday for Class A Kannapolis before reporting to Bristol. … A crowd of 2,027 collectively took in the double-header, highlighted by annual Merchants Night festivities … Bristol’s Andre Rienzo (0-3, 5.91 ERA) will get the nod for today’s 7 p.m. finale against the Braves.