Charlotte Knights 11, Nashville Sounds 10 (10 innings)(Statcast Box)
This game got chaotic at the end, as Knights games often do. However, this time, the Knights (59-68) pulled through, as they held on to beat the Sounds (68-58) in 10 innings.
The Knights opened the scoring in the second, when Dominic Fletcher walked, and Adam Hackenberg singled to put runners on the corners. From there, Jacob Gonzalez lined out, but a throwing error allowed Fletcher to score the first run of the game. The Knights added four more in the third. This time, the big hits came from Andre Lipcius (RBI single), Bryan Ramos (two-run single), and Fletcher (RBI single).
In the fifth, Corey Julks hit an RBI single, and Julks and Dru Baker executed a double steal that resulted in Charlotte’s seventh run.
Meanwhile, Knights starter Duncan Davitt, 25, had a solid start, allowing two runs on three hits in five innings. When Davitt left the game after his five frames of work, the Knights had a 7-2 lead. However, it is not much of a surprise that the lead was not safe. The Knights bullpen allowed eight runs (seven earned) in five innings to allow Nashville back into the game.
The Knights offense was clutch in the top of the 10th. Lipcius drove in a run with a single, and Fletcher picked up two RBIs with a two-out triple.
That triple turned out to be a huge hit, as the Sounds fell just short in the bottom half. Trailing by a score of 11-10 with two outs and a runners on second , Sounds DH Tyler Black singled to left. The Sounds attempted to pick up the tying run, but a good throw by Julks nailed the runner at home, so the Knights prevailed, 11-10. What a ballgame.
Birmingham Barons 6, Knoxville Smokies 2
The Barons (74-48) flipped the script, as they followed a 6-2 loss with a 6-2 victory over Knoxville (57-63).
Barons starter Riley Gowens, 25, delivered a quality start, only allowing one run on four hits in six frames, striking out six. Gowens only needed 84 pitches to make it through those six innings (14.0 pitches per inning), as he attacked hitters early and often. Despite the great performance by Gowens, though, the score was 1-1 when the bullpen took over.
Birmingham’s offense did not have much life until late in this game, but the Barons did score once in the first. Rikuu Nishida doubled to lead off the bottom of the first, and after a sacrifice bunt by Bergolla, Nishida was on third. From there, Sam Antonacci drove in the game’s first run with an infield single.
Barons reliever Mark McLaughlin allowed one run in the seventh, and at that point, Knoxville had a 2-1 lead. However, the Barons did not go down easily. The Barons got a lot of help from Knoxville in the bottom of the eighth, and they took advantage. DJ Gladney reached on an error, Jorge Corona was hit by a pitch, and Jason Matthews walks. Although Nishida flew out, Bergolla was hit by a pitch to force in a run with one out. After Antonacci struck out, Wilfred Veras cleared the bases with a triple to put Birmingham ahead for good. Braden Montgomery launched a ground-rule double to add an insurance run and wrap up the scoring.
Winston-Salem Dash 3, Rome Emperors 0
For the second night in a row, the Dash (51-69) completed a shutout against the Emperors (52-66). Through two games this series, Winston-Salem is outscoring Rome by a cumulative score of 10-0.
Gage Ziehl, 22, was terrific on the mound for the Dash. Ziehl got through 5 1/3 innings without allowing a run, and he racked up six strikeouts without walking anyone. Overall, Ziehl was very effective, and he put the Dash in an excellent position to win the game.
The Dash scored the game’s first run in the top of the third, when Jackson Appel hit a double with one out. Ryan Burrowes followed with an infield single to put runners on the corners. Burrowes proceeded to steal second, and a throwing error on the stolen base attempt allowed Appel to race home.
The Dash added a couple of insurance runs later on. In the fifth, Appel singled to drive in Cole McConnell, who drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a Drake Logan single. In the ninth, Caleb Bonemer drew a leadoff walk, he advanced to second on a T.J. McCants single, and he advanced to third on a passed ball. From there, Appel drove in Bonemer with a sacrifice fly.
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 5, Salem Red Sox 1
Kannapolis (57-65) used a big fourth inning to defeat Salem (51-69) for the second straight evening. As a result, every MiLB affiliate in the organization won on Wednesday.
Cannon Ballers start Grant Umberger, 23, was very reliable on the mound. Umberger only allowed one run one hit in five innings, striking out five to lower his ERA to 2.56. Umberger was also efficient, only needing 78 pitches to make it through five frames (15.6 pitches per inning).
The Cannon Ballers opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, when Jordan Sprinkle, 24, drew a walk and stole his 49th base with Kannapolis this season (more on that later). Sprinkle advanced to third on a wild pitch, and he scored on a passed ball. What a job by Sprinkle on the base paths.
Salem scored the tying run in the top of the fourth, but the Cannon Ballers rallied in a big way in the bottom half. Anthony DePino and Nathan Archer drew back-to-back walks to open the inning. Later, with one out, Colby Shelton hit an RBI single to drive in the go-ahead run, and Kannapolis was not finished. Arxy Hernández walked, and after a fielding error, a passed ball, and a wild pitch, the score was 5-1. The bullpen took care of business, so Kannapolis held on for a comfortable victory.
By the way, remember that stolen base by Sprinkle? He proceeded to swipe two more bases, bringing his total with Kannapolis to 51. Overall, in stolen base attempts, Sprinkle is 51-for-57 in 53 games with Kannapolis and 12-for-12 in 33 games with Winston-Salem. Sprinkle has not displayed much power, but his OBP with Kannapolis is .394.