Tourists drop suspended game, win nightcap

ASHEVILLE, NC - The Asheville Tourists completed the suspended game from Wednesday on Friday evening at McCormick Field, falling to the Rome Emperors 7-1. They followed it up with a 3-1 win in Game 2 of the day.

Game 1 - Rome 7, Asheville 1

Also suffering a postponement yesterday, play finally resumed in the bottom of the third inning tied at one. The Tourists (49-66) fell behind after allowing a quartet of unearned runs to the Emperors (51-64) in the sixth.

The offense couldn’t recover, manufacturing just three hits in the game, all from Jancel Villarroel.

Derek True (L, 2-7) started the day for Asheville after Andrew Taylor went three innings on Wednesday. Taking the loss, he allowed six runs (two earned) in four frames.

Game 2 - Asheville 3, Rome 1

Opening the nightcap and playing a seven-inning game, scoring began in the third from the Tourists. Jancel Villarroel notched an RBI single to make it 1-0. Later in the fifth tied at one, Walker Janek gave Asheville the lead again with a run-scoring hit.

Villarroel homered in the sixth to pad the lead with an insurance run, but it wasn’t needed.

Right-hander Nolan DeVos made his return to High-A baseball as the starter. He retired the first nine Emperors faced, before allowing an unearned run in the fourth. Shutting down the rest of the night, Anthony Cruz (W, 1-0) earned his first decision in High-A by tossing three scoreless frames.

Playing Game 4 of the series tomorrow, Asheville and Rome will battle at 6:05 p.m. ET for Saturday’s first pitch.