Nashville Sounds 5, Charlotte Knights 1
The Knights got beaten by good pitching, plain and simple. With the 5-1 loss to the Sounds, Charlotte (13-14) is now a game under .500, which feels about right. Starter Jake Curtis got crushed in the second giving up a three-run bomb, and Nashville just kept piling on.
It was a home run derby, but only for Nashville. Ben Peoples served up another in the sixth, then Tyler Schweitzer joined the fun in the seventh allowing a solo shot. It was now 5-0, and the Knights
looked lost. No answers, just more misery.
Meanwhile, the Knights’ bats were in witness protection with no hits through four. Mario Camilletti finally knocked a single in the fifth, Oliver Dunn had a base hit in the sixth, and Caden Connor with one in the seventh but those were the only signs of life. The lone run was a late, desperate eighth-inning scramble on a Rikuu Nishida single, Jacob Gonzalez walk, and LaMonte Wade Jr. RBI single.
Unfortunately, that one tally was the high-water mark. The Knights went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position, whiffed a dozen times, and looked allergic to clutch hits. Nashville’s home run parade made this one a laugher long before the last out.
Birmingham Barons 8, Columbus Clingstone 5
The Barons looked dead in the water — until they absolutely weren’t. Birmingham stormed back in a wild seventh inning to take down the Clingstones, 8–5, improving to 9–12 on the season. For six innings, this one had all the markings of a pitchers’ duel, tied 1–1 with both sides struggling to break through.
Lucas Gordon was terrific, giving the Barons exactly what they needed with six strong innings. He allowed just one run on two hits, walked two, and struck out five, earning a quality start.
There were early chances for the offense. Jeral Perez and Calvin Harris each laced two-out doubles in the third and fifth, respectively, but both were stranded. Jacob Gonzalez provided the lone breakthrough with a solo shot in the fourth to account for Birmingham’s first run.
Then came the top of the seventh and the chaos. Carson Jacobs took over on the mound, and things got ugly quickly, as Columbus exploded for four runs to take a 5–1 lead. It felt like the game could get away right there. Instead, Birmingham flipped the script.
The bottom of the frame started without a single hit. Jhancarlos Lara completely lost the zone, issuing four straight walks to Braden Montgomery, Alec Makarewicz, Jeral Perez, and Calvin Harris, which forced in a run and loaded the bases. After a pitching change, the Barons really poured it on.
Andy Weber ripped a single to center, and with the help of a fielding error, plated two runs to make it a one-run game.
Adam Fogel followed with a go-ahead two-run double that put Birmingham in front. Jordan Sprinkle added an RBI single as the Barons batted around and turned a four-run deficit into a 7–5 lead. They tacked on another in the eighth for good measure, manufacturing a run on a walk, a single, and a sacrifice fly from Burke.
From there, the bullpen locked it down. Jarold Rosado and Jackson Kelley each tossed a scoreless inning to wrap it up.
Winston Salem Dash 6, Hub City Spartanburgers 0 (Game 1/7 innings)
The Dash didn’t just win this one — they controlled it from start to finish, cruising to a shutout over the Spartanburgers. It had the feel of a statement game, with dominant pitching and just enough timely offense before things broke wide open late.
The tone was set early by George Wolkow, who launched a solo shot to right-center in the second inning to give Winston-Salem a quick 1–0 lead. Boston Smith followed suit in the fifth, with his own blast to double the advantage.
Meanwhile, the pitching staff was in complete command. David Sandlin got things rolling with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, Jake Peppers bridged the gap cleanly, and Grant Umberger held them scoreless over the final four frames. The trio combined for a four-hit shutout, never letting Hub City find any rhythm at the plate.
Then came the sixth, and that’s when the game flipped from controlled to out of reach.
The Dash capitalized on a little bit of everything. With the bases loaded, Wolkow came through again with an RBI single to make it 3–0. Smith followed with a fielder’s choice that plated another run, and Ryan Burrowes delivered the knockout blow with a two-out, two-run double to right, stretching the lead to 6–0.
From there, it was cruise control. The offense finished the job, the pitching never wavered, and the Dash continued to show why they’ve been one of the most dangerous lineups in the league, sitting near the top in just about every major offensive category, from batting average to power to run production.
Winston-Salem Dash 13, Hub City Spartanburgers 1 (Game 2/7 innings)
The Dash erupted early and never let up, rolling over the Spartanburgers 13–1 in a seven-inning rout to improve to 14–7, tying them for first place in the South Atlantic League. And honestly, it’s a good thing this one was shortened, because W-S might have scored 20 runs if it were nine innings.
The offense caught fire immediately. With the bases loaded in the first thanks to two walks and a hit-by-pitch, Ryan Burrowes came through with a two-out single to center, driving in Ely Brown and Caleb Bonemer. After swiping second to move two into scoring position, Grant Magill followed with a soft liner to right that plated two more, and just like that, it was 4–0 before Hub City could catch its breath.
The Spartanburgers scratched one back in the bottom half with the help of a walk, an error, a stolen base, and a sac fly, but that was the only run they’d get all game. And the only hit they’d manage was a one-out single in the bottom of the fourth. Gabe Davis tossed three innings, and Frankeli Arias, Garrett Wright, Aric McAtee, and Jonathan Clark all threw one frame apiece for the combined one-hitter.
Winston-Salem kept the pressure on in the third. Colby Shelton led off with a ground-rule double, Anthony DePino knocked him in, and after a wild pitch and a walk, Magill struck again with a two-run double to push the lead to 7–1.
Then came another crooked number in the fifth — and more chaos. Burrowes doubled, Magill singled, and Bryce Eblin walked to load the bases. Alex Ungar drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run, Brown added an RBI single, Bonemer was hit by a pitch, and DePino capped the inning with a sac fly. Four more runs, and the game was completely out of reach. But just for good measure, in the sixth, Ungar launched a two-run dinger (his first pro home run) to pile it on.
By the end of it, the Dash had racked up 12 hits and seven walks. It was a relentless offensive showing that matches their spot atop the league standings.
Charleston RiverDogs 6, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 1
The Cannon Ballers were right there early, but things unraveled late in a 6–1 loss to the RiverDogs, dropping Kannapolis to 6–15 on the season. For a while, this one had all the makings of a pitchers’ duel, with both sides locked in through three scoreless frames.
Kanny broke through first in the fourth, manufacturing a run when Javier Mogollón drove in Jaden Fauske, who reached on a walk and set the table ahead of an RBI knock to center. It wasn’t flashy, but it was enough to grab a 1–0 lead.
Starter Max Banks did his part and then some, tossing five scoreless frames. He scattered four hits, didn’t issue a walk, and punched out five, keeping Charleston off balance and giving the Ballers a chance to control the game.
But the momentum flipped in the sixth. Marco Barrios came on and looked sharp out of the gate with two quick outs before things spiraled — back-to-back singles, a stolen base, and suddenly the RiverDogs had evened things up at 1–1.
From there, it was downhill. The RiverDogs tagged Nicholas Weyrich for a three-run homer that broke things open, and they further piled on in the ninth against Pierce George with a single and a triple to stretch the lead.
Offensively, Kannapolis couldn’t get anything working. They tallied seven hits but managed just two extra-base knocks and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and struck out 13 times. Plenty of chances, but not enough results.
