Suns use late rally to clinch series

HAGERSTOWN, MD (June 2, 2019) - Capitalizing on a seventh-inning rally, the Suns defeated the Rome Braves 5-4 at Municipal Stadium Sunday.
Trailing 4-3 in the in the bottom of the seventh, the Suns got runners to second and third with two outs. Jacob Rhinesmith then stepped to plate and delivered a two-run knock up the middle that gave Hagerstown (26-30) the lead for good.

After the Suns took the advantage, weather struck Municipal Stadium and the game went into a 38-minute rain delay in the top of the eighth. But when the players returned to the field, the Hagerstown bullpen was able to hold the lead.
Chandler Day (W, 2-1) worked a scoreless eighth, finishing off a stellar outing in which he tossed three scoreless frames in relief. Day has now gone 12.1 innings over his last four outings without allowing an earned run. Jackson Stoeckinger then took over in the ninth, and posted a zero to pick up his team-high fifth save. 
The Suns took the initial lead early in the ballgame. Rhinesmith crossed the plate on a wild pitch to open the scoring after he doubled to lead-off the second inning. After a Henry Quintero solo home run tied the game in the third, Hagerstown answered right back. In the bottom half of the inning, Gilbert Lara gave the Suns the lead back with an RBI single, and then Rhinesmith delivered another RBI base hit to give Hagerstown a 3-1 lead. Rhinesmith finished the day 3-for-3 with three RBI.
All of those runs came against Rome (26-30) starter Odalvi Javier, who allowed the three runs on five hits over five innings of work. He got the no-decision, but Jose Montilla (L, 1-4) took the loss after giving up the runs in the seventh. 
Although the Suns had the early lead, the Braves stormed back against Hagerstown starter Francys Peguero. Darling Florentino tied it in the fourth with a two-run homer, and then Hagen Owenby gave Rome a 4-3 lead with an RBI single in the fifth. Peguero went five innings in total, allowing four runs on seven hits, and three of those runs came with two outs. 
The close victory was Hagerstown's 10th one-run victory of the season, as the team is now 10-14 in those scenarios. It also made for back-to-back one-run victories to end the series and take three out of four from the Braves. 
Hagerstown next starts a seven-game road trip with a game against the Lakewood BlueClaws tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. RHP Ryan Tapani (2-4, 4.63 ERA) will take the mound for the Suns while Lakewood has not yet named a starting pitcher.
After the seven-game road trip, the Suns return to Municipal Stadium May 10 to begin a seven-game homestand against the BlueClaws and the West Virginia Power. The stretch is filled with great promotions, including Bark in the Park, Thirsty Thursday, Pink Night and Sunday Funday! For tickets or more information visit hagerstownsuns.com or call 301-791-6266.