Rome, GA — It was a promising start for Kolby Allard. Allard was coming off a couple of bad starts for Rome in which he gave up 11 runs on 13 hits in only 7 innings.
Tonight, Allard went 5 innings, struck out 5, gave up only 1 run on 66 pitches, 45 of which were strikes. His fastball topped out at 93 mph and his curveball seemed to take good shape around the 4th inning.
The left-handed prospect, Allard, was one of two first-round draft picks for Atlanta in 2015. (The other was right-handed pitcher Mike Soroka, current Rome Braves teammate). Since his big signing, Rome has been awaiting his debut and tonight he showed fans why he was drafted so high last year.
The Braves couldn’t get the bats going until the 8th when Jonathan Morales singled on a fly ball. This eventually led to a rally; Morales scored on a wild pitch and Yeudi Grullon bunted in Morales. This tied the game up at two, then Lucas Herbert saved the day in the bottom of the 9th.
AOG Play of the Game – Lucas Herbert bottom of the 9th single
Herbert went 2-for-4 tonight and singled in Justin Ellison in the bottom of the night to bring home the win.
AOG Player to keep your eye on – Austin Riley
Riley came into the season as a promising young slugger. But during April and May, Riley hit .245 with very little power. As of late, Riley is figuring things out at the plate. In his last 10 games, he’s batting a whopping .343 with 4 RBI. Keep your eye on Austin Riley. And remember, every other organization was actually scouting Riley as a pitcher. So being a full-time third baseman is new to this promising 19-year-old.
