By WAYNE PHILLIPS

Sports Editor

Greeneville's hopes of picking up victories in their first two series of the season were doused Sunday night as the Danville Braves jumped out to an early lead and beat the Astros 5-1, and taking the three-game set by a 2-1 margin.

After losing to the Astros on Friday night, their first and only loss of the season to date, Danville came back for a 5-4 win on Saturday night, then got clutch pitching, played errorless baseball, and captured the 5-1 win to improve their East Division-leading record to 5-1.

Greeneville, meanwhile, obviously much improved over last season, dropped to 3-3 on the year and opens a three-game home set against the Johnson City Cardinals tonight at Pioneer Park. Game time is 7 p.m. for the first game of the year in the "11E Series" and it's "Fun Day Monday" with kids 12-under running the bases after the game. Plus there is an Astros Notepad Giveaway on tap for tonight.

The Astros had their chances Sunday night, but were unable to come up with clutch hits at key times in the game when they had runners in scoring position. Despite coming up with nine hits in the game, they could plate only one run and left 10 runners stranded on the paths in the contest.

Danville starting pitcher Randall Delgado worked five innings and got the win, holding the Astros scoreless and allowing three hits while striking out five. Matthew Small worked the final 1 2/3 innings and picked up a save.

Greeneville starter Kyle Greenwalt (1-1) also went five innings but took the loss after the Braves scored four runs off him. Greenwalt had seven strikeouts. Reliever Zachary Grimmett worked two perfect middle innings for Greeneville, while Nathaniel Pettus went the final two frames and gave up a solo homer to Gerardo Rodriguez in the ninth, his league-leading fourth of the season.

Danville got two runs in the second but it could have been worse as they loaded the bases with nobody out. Jon Gilmore started it with a double, then Jesue Sucre reached on a fielder's choice after hitting a ball to shortstop Richardo Bonfante, who fielded the ball and tried, but failed, to get Gilmore leaning off the second base bag.

Joel Campusano was then hit by a pitch. Greenwalt regrouped and got two straight strikeouts, but Chais Fuller came through with a base hit to center that plated two runs.

Danville made it 3-0 in the top of the fourth as Randy Gress singled and later scored on a sacrifice fly to center by L.V. Ware.

The Astros lost a golden opportunity to get on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Frank Almonte singled to left and Kody Hinze reached on a walk. Pedro Gonzalez laid down a bunt to move the runners up. Nathan Metroka then walked to load the bases with one out, but Delgado got Bonfante to ground into a double play to end the inning.

Danville went up 4-0 in the fifth on a two-out double by Gilmore, his second of the game, and an RBI single by Sucre.

Greeneville finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh as Kyle Miller singled with one out. Albert Cartwright banged a long fly ball off the left field wall that came just short of becoming the Astros' first home run of the season, and Miller scored all the way from first base. That cut the gap to 4-1.

The Astros threatened again in the eighth with a lead-off single by Almonte and a one-out double by Pedro Gonzalez that left runners at second and third with one out. But Small came on in relief and got Metroka to go down swinging, then retired Bonfante on an infield grounder.

Rodriguez belted his opposite field lead-off homer in the ninth to close out the scoring.

Gilmore had three hits to pace the Braves. Almonte and Miller each had two hits for Greeneville.