DBraves.com

BRISTOL, Va. - The Danville Braves gave up two runs in the ninth, but took them right back in the tenth for the win over the Bristol White Sox, 11-9.

With their third-straight win tonight, the D-Braves are now in sole possession of first place in the Appalachian League East at 19-15. The loss drops Bristol to 13-21 on the season, and keeps them in last in the West.

Bristol jumped out an early lead, recording three runs in the first two innings thanks to a throwing error that scored left fielder Jordan Keegan, a wild pitch by Braves starting pitcher Aaron Northcraft, and an RBI single by second baseman Drew Lee.

Down 3-0, Danville came steaming back with four tallies of their own in the top of the third inning.

Extra-base excellence drove in three runs before the first out was recorded, starting off with a double that put right fielder David Rohm in scoring position.

A double by left fielder Kenny Fleming drove both the runs in, before he crossed home plate himself on a triple by center fielder Jason Mowry. A sacrifice fly by Andrelton Simmons drove the final run in before Bristol ended the inning.

Righty Northcraft finished out his five-inning appearance by shutting down the White Sox after the second, ending the outing with two earned runs on eight hits, with two strike outs.

The D-Braves upped their lead to 8-4 by the end of the sixth, recording another four runs in the top half of the inning.

First baseman Joey Terdoslavich got the Danville scoring started with a double to right field that scored catcher Evan Gattis and advanced designated hitter Ryan Delgado to third.

Rohm added a tally during the next at-bat when his single to right scored Delgado. A single and stolen base by second baseman Elmer Reyes finished the sixth-inning damage by the Braves.

Bristol tacked on a run of their own in the sixth on a catching error by shortstop Andrelton Simmons that allowed Lee to score, but another Danville run in the seventh left the White Sox trailing by a score of 9-4 through the seventh.

The White Sox made it a game in the eighth, narrowing the gap to 9-7 on an RBI single by Lee, and two-RBI single by first baseman John Spatola. A fielding error by Terdoslavich in the ninth drove the ballgame into extra innings when two more Bristol base-runners crossed home plate.

Reeling from a single-game season high six errors, D-Braves bats came to the rescue and closer Kyle Mertins took hold of the White Sox offense in the tenth and final inning.

Batting just under .500 at the end of the home stand, Danville third baseman Barrett Kleinknecht once again stepped up when needed, driving in two go-ahead runs on a single to left. Leading by two, Mertins shut down the side to give the Braves their third-straight win.

As the pitcher of record when the Braves took the lead, relief pitcher Matthew Suschak got the win for the night, finishing his two-inning outing with three strike outs, having allowed five runs, three earned, on five hits.

Mertins was credited with his fourth save of the season. Bristol closer Kevin Moran took the loss after pitching in the tenth, giving up one earned run on two hits with a strike out.

Leading the Braves at the plate tonight was outfielder Rohm, who finished the night at 4-6, with two runs scored and an RBI. Lee was the main contributor for Bristol's offense, going 3-5 with two runs and two RBIs as well.

Game two of the series begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 27.

Right-hander Ryan Weber will be on the mound for the Braves as they look to extend their winning streak, and lead of the East.

Danville rounds out its series with Bristol on July 28, and will open the second half of its road trip on July 29 with a three-game series at Princeton.

The team will return on Aug. 1 to kick off their second series of the season with the Bluefield Orioles.

Featured in the short three-game home stand is Sylvan Learning Center Hit the Books Night and Dollar Dog Monday on Aug. 2, followed by KRAFT Singles Tuesday Night Tickets on Aug. 3.

Fans can follow all Braves play-by-play action for home games on WMNA 106.3 FM or on the Braves' website at www.dbraves.com.

DBraves.com

DANVILLE, Va. - The Danville Braves jumped out to an early lead once again, warding off another Johnson City rally to take the series with a 6-5 win.

Improving to 18-15 on the season, Danville maintains its hold on first in the Appalachian League East, while the Cardinals are now at 21-12 and remain in first in their half of the league as well.

After last night's narrow loss, the Johnson City Cardinals kicked off the game by striking quickly in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Philip Cerreto.

The lead was short-lived, however, as third baseman Barrett Kleinknecht repeated last night's first at-bat with an RBI-single to score center fielder Jason Mowry in the bottom half. With the hit, Kleinknecht tied teammate Evan Gattis for the longest hit streak of the season at ten games.

The opening five innings of the game could only be characterized as a tale of two defenses. Getting his fourth start on the mound for the D-Braves, righty Willie Kempf was dominant, allowing only two runs through six innings with four strike outs.

While his outing was solid, Kempf got plenty of help from his fielders, including two double-plays, two put-outs and another two runners caught stealing.

Despite giving up two early on, Johnson City starter Cale Johnson settled down, giving up only one more run while he was on the mound in his 5.2-inning outing.

Coming in for Johnson, Robert Revesz inherited runners on first and second, with left fielder Bobby Rauh coming to the plate. Starting the at-bat having gone 0-2 in the game, with a 2-2 score, Rauh took the opportunity to put Danville well out in front on a three-run shot. The home run was Rauh's second of the season.

D-Brave Dalton Acord entered the game for Kempf in the middle of the eighth, allowing one inherited runner to score before closing the inning.

The Cardinals, for the second night in a row, made it a game in the ninth thanks to a two-RBI double by pinch hitter Cody Stanley. With only one out in the inning, Acord struck out the next two batters for his second save of the season. For his efforts out of the gate, Kempf was credited with his second win, while fellow starter Johnson took the loss.

Shortstop Andrelton Simmons, right fielder David Rohm, and second baseman Elmer Reyes all went 3-4 on the night, notching a combined three runs and two doubles. Hot at the plate for the Cardinals once again was designated hitter Oscar Taveras, who had a 3-4 night as well, recording a run and an RBI.

The Braves now hit the road for their third six-game road trip of the season. The away stint will start tomorrow with a three-game series against the Bristol White Sox, followed by another three with the Princeton Rays.

The team will return on Aug. 1 to kick off their second series of the season with the Bluefield Orioles.

Featured in the short three-game home stand is Sylvan Learning Center Hit the Books Night and Dollar Dog Monday on Aug. 2, followed by KRAFT Singles Tuesday Night Tickets on Aug. 3.

Fans can follow all Braves play-by-play action for home games on WMNA 106.3 FM or on the Braves' website at www.dbraves.com.