BRADENTON, Fla. – Daniel Ross, a former Nile C. Kinnick right-hander, got the win in relief, his first as a pro, as his Bradenton Pirates edged the Sarasota Orioles 9-8 on Friday in a rookie-level Gulf Coast League game.
Ross, a 2014 Kinnick graduate, struck out two and walked two over 1 1/3 innings and got the win when teammate Dylan Shockley hit a walk-off sacrifice fly to break an 8-8 tie and drive in the bottom of the ninth.
It was the first decision as a pro for Ross, who was taken in the 39th round of the Major League Baseball draft last month by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“It was an awesome feeling,” Ross said of getting that first win. “I walked a couple, but I made some quality pitches throughout the inning to get out of it. I couldn’t do it without the team walking it off.”
He was 3-2 with a 3.62 ERA in 12 appearances and five starts last season for Millersville University. Ross posted a 2.36 ERA and averaged eight strikeouts in his four seasons at Kinnick; he lived his entire life in Japan before heading out for college in September 2014.
