Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 7, Charlotte Knights 6
The Knights (17-18) nearly won their fourth in a row to move above .500, but they fell short, as the Jumbo Shrimp offense heated up late.
Knights reliever Tyler Gilbert, 32, served as the opener in this game, and he performed admirably. Gilbert delivered two shutout innings to give the Knights an early boost. The game remained scoreless until the top of the fifth, when Dru Baker hit his third home run of the season. That made it 2-0, and based on the way the pitching looked early on, it appeared that the Knights would not need many more runs. Then, the Knights picked up an insurance run in the sixth, when LaMonte Wade Jr. launched his fourth homer of the year.
However, the Jumbo Shrimp did a lot of damage against reliever Lucas Sims and the Knights in the bottom of the sixth. Five of the seven Jacksonville batters to face Sims reached base safely. In the sixth, the Jumbo Shrimp used four singles and three walks to put four on the board and take the lead.
In the eighth, with one out and nobody on base, Braden Montgomery got a rally started with a single because of course he did. Jacob Gonzalez followed with a ground-rule double, and with two outs, Ryan Galanie reached on an error that tied the game. Korey Lee was hit by a pitch to load the bases and extend the inning for Caden Connor, who drove in a pair with a single.
However, the good times did not last long. Riley Gowens had a rough day from the bullpen, as he allowed a two-run homer in the eighth that resulted in the score being tied at six. Finally, with one out in the ninth, Heriberto Hernández took Gowens deep to wrap this one up.
Birmingham Barons at Knoxville Smokies: Postponed
Birmingham (13-15) was unable to play due to inclement weather in Knoxville. The makeup game is scheduled to happen on Friday.
Hudson Valley Renegades 11, Winston-Salem Dash 1 (8 innings)
The Dash (17-12) had no chance, as the Renegades were relentless in this one-sided game.
Seth Keener, 24, opened this game on the mound for the Dash, and things did not go smoothly for him. Keener allowed three runs on three hits in the first, and that was it for his outing. Hudson Valley pulled away from there, scoring two in the second and five in the third to make it a blowout early on. Meanwhile, the Dash scored only once. With one out in the seventh, Kaleb Freeman, Ely Brown, and Caleb Bonemer drew three consecutive walks. From there, a productive ground out by Colby Shelton put the Dash on the board for the first and last time. Winston-Salem finished 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 6, Columbia Fireflies 2
The Cannon Ballers (11-18) trailed for the vast majority of this game, but the offense put a big-time rally together to secure the victory.
Kannapolis starter Caedmon Parker, 22, did just about everything he could to put the Cannon Ballers in a position to win this game. Parker pitched five innings, he struck out seven, and he only allowed two hits. Parker did allow an RBI single in the first, but even that run was unearned. Despite Parker’s excellence, he did not leave the game in line for a win, as Columbia had a 1-0 lead at the end of the fifth.
The Fireflies added another run in the sixth to double their lead. Finally, in the seventh, Kannapolis got on the board. Rylan Galvan and James Taussig drew back-to-back walks to open the inning. Back-to-back productive outs from Marcelo Alcala and Arxy Hernández allowed Kannapolis to cut the deficit in half.
In the eighth, the Cannon Ballers took full advantage of some mistakes from Columbia. Abraham Núñez walked, and Billy Carlson and Jaden Fauske were both hit by a pitch. That wildness resulted in the Cannon Ballers having the bases loaded with no outs, and a balk allowed the tying run to score. From there, a double by Matthew Boughton gave the Cannon Ballers a lead that they did not relinquish. Rylan Galvan added a pair of insurance runs with a single, and Hernández picked up his second RBI of the game with a single.
ACL White Sox defeat ACL Dodgers (Forfeit)
No pitches were thrown, but the ACL White Sox (1-2) picked up their first victory of the season.