Charlotte Knights 5, Norfolk Tides 1
While the Knights (79-67) have been eliminated from the playoffs, there is still plenty to feel good about in Charlotte. With a winning record already secured, the Triple-A squad will finish above .500 for the first time since 2019, when they went 75-64.
And in the bigger picture, that’s another encouraging sign for the health of the White Sox organization.
Birmingham was the only full-season affiliate to finish below .500, and even the Barons managed to rebound
from a disastrous 26-43 first half to go 35-34 in the second. Add in Winston-Salem winning the South Atlantic League championship, and there are signs of affiliate depth that simply hasn’t been there in a long time.
As for Thursday’s action, the Knights made easy work of the last-place Norfolk Tides in an afternoon contest.
Shane Murphy got the start for Charlotte and turned in five strong innings, surrendering one run on three hits and two walks while striking out two. The arm barn was even better, allowing just one hit and no tallies over four frames. Tyler Davis tossed two hitless innings before Shane Smith and Peyton Pallette each added a scoreless frame to close things out.
Charlotte broke the 0-0 deadlock in the fourth. After back-to-back walks to Mario Camilletti and Tim Elko, Michael Turner poked an RBI single through the right side to give the Knights a 1-0 edge.
Norfolk answered in the bottom half with a solo homer off Murphy, and the 1-1 tie held through the next three innings.
Then the Knights took control.
Andy Weber opened the eighth with a single and Riley Unroe followed with a walk. Korey Lee drove Weber home with a base hit, and Rikuu Nishida immediately followed with an RBI single to make it 3-1.
Then, Camilletti worked another free pass to pack the sacks with nobody out, and Elko kept the runs flowing, plating Lee with an RBI ground out to third. Turner capped the frame with a sacrifice fly to left, driving in Nishida and giving the Knights a comfortable 5-1 cushion.
That was more than enough for a pitching staff that surrendered only four hits all afternoon.
The playoffs might not be in Charlotte’s future this season, but a winning record is. And when you look at what happened throughout the system in 2026, there’s finally reason to feel pretty good about what’s brewing down on the farm.
MVP
Shane Murphy: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K, PO
Runners-Up
Tyler Davis: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, K, W
Korey Lee: 1-for-4, R, RBI
Rikuu Nishida: 2-for-4, R, RBI, CS
Michael Turner: 1-for-3, 2 RBI
Andy Weber: 1-for-4, R, 2 K
Junior Perez: 1-for-4, 2B
Cold Cat
Caden Connor: 0-for-4, 2 K
Runners-Up
Jason Matthews: 0-for-2, K
