Williams Helps Lift the Tourists to another Win

ASHEVILLE- The Asheville Tourists finished out their series with the Rome Braves on Sunday with a thrilling 6-5 victory in front of the home crowd. Justin Williams plated three runs late in the game and the bullpen secured the win. Asheville took the series from Rome five games to one.

Zach Cole erased an early 1-0 deficit with a three-run Home Run in the bottom of the first inning. The Braves responded with a two-run Home Run to tie the game in the third. The score remained tied until Williams led off the bottom of the fifth with a Home Run to right.

Williams was not done. The Tourists first-baseman clubbed a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the sixth to run Asheville’s lead out to 6-3. Rome scored once in the seventh and added another in the eighth to pull back within a run.

In the top of the ninth, the Braves put the tying run at third base with one out. Carlos Calderon induced back-to-back groundouts to end the game and earned his team-leading third save of the year. Franny Cobos notched the win with 2.1 scoreless innings in relief and Deylen Miley struck out six in his three innings of work.

Tommy Sacco Jr. and Michael Sandle joined Williams and Cole with two hits while Jacob Melton reached base four times in the win.

The Tourists have won nine of their last ten home games. Asheville is 11-4 since the All-Star Break and one game clear of Rome in the standings. Following Monday’s Off Day, Asheville will hit the road to take on the Greensboro Grasshoppers. The Tourists swept Greensboro at home back in May.