SPARTANBURG, S.C. — After losing both ends of a drizzly Saturday doubleheader, Hub City bounced back Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, shutting out Rome 4-0 and splitting the series. The battery pair of D.J. McCarty and Malcolm Moore stole the show.
McCarty (W, 1-2) spun the best game of his young season, tying career-highs with six innings pitched and eight strikeouts. The right-hander struck out the side in his final frame. McCarty tossed a season-high 88 pitches, 56 of which were strikes.
Moore brought in three of the Spartanburgers’ four runs on the night. The lefty swinger smashed his seventh homer of the season in the fourth, a solo shot off Rome’s starter Luke Sinnard (L, 0-1). Moore provided two runs of insurance for Hub City in the eighth as well, hammering a double the opposite way to the left field wall to score a pair.
Rome posed the game’s first threat in the top of the third, but McCarty followed a pair of singles with a pair of strikeouts to end the inning. In the bottom of the third, Chandler Pollard roped a single to right, then promptly stole second and third with Luke Hanson at the plate. Hanson bounced a soft ground ball to third, and Pollard sped home with the throw going to first.
The ‘Burgers scored in back-to-back frames against Sinnard, backing up the run in the third with the Moore homer in the fourth. Sinnard finished 4 2/3 innings in his first full season start of 2026.
After McCarty finished the sixth, Hub City went to the bullpen and got zeros from Luke Savage in the seventh and Jesus Gamez in the eighth.
Rome got scoreless relief outings from Justin Long and Trent Buchanan to follow Sinnard. Jacob Shafer came on to pitch the eighth. Two walks and two outs later, Moore dropped his two-run double into the corner in left to double the lead. Cole Stasio only needed seven pitches to put a bow on the ballgame in the ninth.
Hub City begins a two-week road trip on Tuesday. The Spartanburgers visit the Greensboro Grasshoppers, High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Winston-Salem Dash, High-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. First pitch on Tuesday between the Spartanburgers and the Grasshoppers is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.
About the Hub City Spartanburgers
The Hub City Spartanburgers are the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and the reigning South Atlantic League South Division Champions. For more information on the Spartanburgers, visit milb.com/hub-city. For information about tickets to any of Hub City’s 66 home games, call 864-594-0701 or email: tickets@hcspartanburgers.com. For media inquiries, email: iunsworth@hcspartanburgers.com. Follow along with the Spartanburgers on social media.
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