Savannah 3, Rome 2

Raul Reyes came around to score on a single from Kai Gronauer off the glove of Rome’s third baseman Samuel Sime in the top of the ninth to give the Sand Gnats a, 3-2, win over the Rome Braves Wednesday afternoon at State Mutual Stadium.

With the win, Savannah has now won three consecutive series for the first time in 2009. It looked as if the Gnats would score a run in the top of the ninth but not by the way it actually happened. Wilmer Flores led off the inning with a triple into the right-center field gap and represented the go-ahead run with the game tied at two. After Imbewer Alvarez struck out, Reyes put down a bunt with Flores charging home. Flores was out on the suicide-squeeze attempt and Reyes stood on first with two away. A walk to Sean Ratliff set the table for Gronauer’s game-winning hit.

Both starting pitchers pitched very well in the Georgia heat Wednesday afternoon. Braves’ starter Randall Delgado allowed two unearned runs on three hits in six innings of work. At one point in the game, Delgado set down 11-straight Gnats. Not to be outdone was Savannah starter Chris Schwinden, who lasted a season-high 6.2 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits. The Visalia, Calif. native set down eight in a row from the fourth through the seventh innings. He struck out six without permitting a walk. Flores and Gronauer were the only Sand Gnats to collect multi-hit games as both went 2-for-4. Jake Goldberg (1-0) notched his first win of the year after he pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless relief behind the start of Schwinden.