BlueClaws take finals lead behind Kilome's gem

Franklyn Kilome, image- Jay Floyd

Led by standout hurler Franklyn Kilome's seven scoreless frames, the Lakewood BlueClaws downed the Rome Braves by a score of 5-0 to earn a win in the opening game of the Class A South Atlantic League Championship Series in Georgia on Monday night.

The dominant nine-strike-out effort by the 21-year-old right-hander combined with two perfect innings from this year's Phillies 8th round draft pick and righty reliever Grant Dyer marked Lakewood's second combined one-hitter this month. Alberto Tirado, Blake Quinn and Sutter McLoughlin made up the previous contingent that accomplished the feat on September 1st.

The Dominican born Kilome entered the 2016 season as the 10th ranked Phillies prospect.  

On offense, right fielder Jose Pujols recorded two hits while first baseman Wilson Garcia slammed a home run, his first of the postseason.

Monday marked the first time this year that Lakewood and Rome, which are separated by an approximately 14-hour drive, faced each other.

With the victory, the BlueClaws are within two wins of their first championship since they won back-to-back leagues titles in 2009 and 2010.

Game two of the series will take place on Tuesday evening at 7:05 PM at Rome's State Mutual Stadium. Games three, four and five (if necessary) will take place at Lakewood's FirstEnergy Park beginning on Thursday.