Catfish Split Series With Rome

The Columbus Catfish earned a split with the Rome Braves Tuesday night, taking the fourth game of the series 5-4.

From the Rome Braves:

Rome, GA ... The Rome Braves lost an error-plagued final game against the Columbus Catfish 5-4 in front of 3,030 fans at State Mutual Stadium.

The Braves scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. Eric Campbell led off with a double and scored on a Jamie Romak double to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. Columbus would tie the game in the top of the fifth as Brandon Carter doubled to right field and scored on a single from Adam Godwin. Rome reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the inning when Ovandy Suero crushed a triple to center and later beat a throw to the plate on a ground ball off the bat of Elvis Andrus. Andrus later scored on yet another double, this time from Maximiliano Ramirez, giving the Braves the 3-1 lead. The Catfish made it 3-2 in the sixth on a run scoring single from Drew Locke. Things seem to fall apart for Rome in the eighth inning as Columbus would score three runs on three hits aided by two costly errors to take the lead 5-3. The Braves hopes were reborn in the bottom of the inning as Ramirez, Andrus, Eric Campbell, and Jamie Romak hit four consecutive singles making the score 5-4, but the RBI from Romak would be the last of the night from either team. The Braves were forced to settle for a series split after making seven errors on the night.

Jesus Rodriguez records the win for the Catfish (2-1), and Ramon Troncoso earns his first save. Nicholas Tisone (0-2) takes the loss for the Braves after throwing three innings, giving up four hits and one earned run.

The Catfish open a four-game series with the Charleston Riverdogs tonight.

Off the field ... sort of ... another Catfish player was recognized by the South Atlantic League. OF Andrew Locke was named offensive Player of the Week by the SAL:

South Atlantic League
Andrew Locke, Columbus
.519 (14-27), 10 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 4 BB, 1 SO, 2 SB, .963 SLG
Locke just keeps hitting. The 23-year-old left fielder has hit safely in 14 straight games, and his .353 average is the ninth-best in all of Minor League Baseball. Locke collected three hits in each of his first three games this week, all Columbus victories. His three-run homer on Friday lifted the Catfish to an 8-6 win over Charleston, while he also went yard on Sunday. Locke's 42 RBIs lead the league, while his .555 slugging percentage ranks fifth.

Locke's average is up to .356 after last night's game.