Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 4, Charlotte Knights 1
Sleepy Charlotte checked out of the game to give Jacksonville an easy 4-1 win, extending the losing streak to four. Although 12 strikeouts and five hits are poor stats, at least Rikuu Nishida notched his first Triple-A home run on a nasty slider that kept Charlotte from being shut out. Ryan Galanie also got bumped from Bham to Charlotte, but he had less luck in his debut, going 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts.
Tanner McDougal faced his first setback of the season with a rough outing It was a night of threes for McDougal, as he allowed three hits, three runs, and three walks in 4 ⅓ innings. His ERA now sits at 3.26, but he’s managed to keep his batting average against less than the Mendoza line and his WHIP short of 1.15, so that shouldn’t be ignored.
Rocket City Trash Pandas 7, Birmingham Barons 4
The Barons went toe-to-toe with the Trash Pandas, but they weren’t nearly as productive. While Bham outhit Rocket City 11-10, a few costly misses led to a loss. Going 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position hurt the Barons, and untimely strikeouts in the third, fourth, seventh and ninth with at least one runner on stunted what could’ve been a win. Despite the loss, at least Braden Montgomery and Alex Mackarewicz put on a show with home runs in the fourth, putting Bham back in the contest.
Shane Murphy’s rocky start quickly set the Barons back. While he gave up three runs early and a home run, he eventually settled in to complete six innings with only five hits allowed and five strikeouts. Eric Adler, who has really had a rough start to the season, didn’t help matters as a reliever. He took the loss after he handed Rocket City three runs in one inning. Across the board, Bham’s pitching didn’t help the team in any way.
Winston-Salem Dash 8, Asheville Tourists 4
As the only team with a winning level in Chicago’s system, the Dash evened the series against Asheville behind an active bottom half of the lineup. While Caleb Bonemer and Ryan Burrowes took a much-deserved off-day, George Wolkow and Boston Smith stepped up for the team. Each delivered home runs with runners on, with Wolkow’s coming in the fourth to pad the early lead and Smith’s coming in the eighth to fend off Asheville’s comeback attempt.
The effort on the pitching front was fair. Liam Paddack gave up two runs in his 3 â…“ – inning outing, which isn’t too bad all things considered, and Luke Bell let another pair of runs squeak through in his shorter appearance. But with a healthy run cushion, their blunders are allowable.
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 5, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 2
Eager to dig themselves out of the basement of the Carolina League North, the Ballers pulled out an extra-innings comeback to bring their record up to 4-9.
Things got off to a rocky start, with Arxy Hernandez notching the only run in the first eight innings with a solo shot to left-center to give Kanny the lead for just five short outs.
The Pelicans responded with a solo home run of their own off starter Blaine Wynk. Wynk got the short end of the starting stick for a second consecutive time, as he was charged with two hits and two runs before being yanked after three innings. Even the four walks charged against him weren’t fair, as at least five of his called balls should’ve been strikes.
Despite going down 2-1 early, Kanny somehow managed to wake up in the ninth, as Rylan Galvan’s solo homer pushed the contest into extras. The CBs wasted no time in the 10th. Suddenly filled with energy, James Taussig’s leadoff triple immediately put Kanny in front.
Bryce Eblin got a pass to first after getting hit, and Jaden Fauske drove Taussig in on a single to right to make it 4-2. Javier MogollĂłn sent the final run across home with a sac fly to left.
That put the game in Pierce George’s hands. After quickly retiring the side in the ninth, he finished the game strong, inducing a ground out and two strikeouts to give Kanny its first back-to-back wins of the season.
