Charlotte Knights 4, Buffalo Bisons 1
The Knights (75-64) used the long ball and a dominant outing from Drew Thorpe to cruise to a 4-1 victory. Tim Elko kicked off the scoring with a solo shot in the bottom of the second, giving Charlotte an early 1-0 lead. Junior Perez gave Charlotte some breathing room in the fourth, launching a two-run homer to make it 3-0. The Knights tacked on another insurance run in the sixth when Caden Connor delivered an RBI single.
Thorpe was terrific in his eighth rehab
start since returning from Tommy John surgery. The righthander tossed five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out four. Based on how Sean Burke pitched for Chicago tonight, perhaps it is time to see what Thorpe can do with the big league club.
The bullpen kept the shutout intact through eight. Jairo Iriarte handled the sixth, Jaden Woods worked the seventh and Aiden Anderson followed with another scoreless frame in the eighth. Garrett Schoenle surrendered a run on a leadoff single and a double in the ninth, but he retired the next three batters to finish off the win.
MVP
Drew Thorpe: 5 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K, W
Runners-Up
Tim Elko: 3-for-4, 2 R, RBI, HR
Junior Perez: 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, HR, 2B, 2 K
Caden Connor: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K
Jaden Woods: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, K
Aiden Anderson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB
Cold Cat
Garrett Schoenle: 1 IP, 2 H, R, K
Runners-Up
Riley Unroe: 0-for-3, BB, K
Joey Wiemer: 0-for-3
Birmingham Barons 3, Knoxville Smokies 2 (10 innings)
The Barons (58-75) entered the night with their postseason hopes beginning to fade after two consecutive losses. They kept those hopes alive tonight with a little extra-inning magic.
The Barons struck first behind back-to-back doubles from Caleb Bonemer and Alec Briley, with Briley’s two-bagger giving Birmingham a 1-0 advantage.
Connor McCullough took the mound for the Barons and kept the Smokies quiet until the third. A double followed by an RBI single tied the game at 1-1. Tennessee strung together three singles in the fifth to move ahead, 2-1, before Jackson Kelley replaced McCullough with one out and prevented further damage.
Birmingham’s arm barn took it from there, holding Tennessee scoreless for the remainder of the game and giving the offense time to mount a comeback.
Ryan Burrowes opened the bottom of the seventh with a single and advanced to second on a throwing error by the third baseman. After Samuel Zavala struck out, Burrowes stole third and raced home on Jorge Corona’s sacrifice fly, pulling the Barons even at 2-2.
Neither side scored over the final two frames, sending the game to extras. Pierce George retired the Smokies in order in the ninth and remained on the mound for the 10th, where he did it again. It was six up and six down for the righthander in a dominant two-inning performance.
Corona began the bottom of the 10th as the ghost runner at second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. After Jacob Burke grounded out, Jordan Sprinkle lined an RBI single to bring Corona home and give the Barons a much-needed 3-2 victory.
Postseason watch: The Barons remain one game behind Rocket City for the final playoff spot as they try to earn an opportunity to defend their back-to-back Southern League championships. With only five games left, there is little room for error — but Birmingham is still alive.
MVP
Jordan Sprinkle: 1-for-4, RBI
Runners-Up
Caleb Bonemer: 3-for-4, R, 2B, K
Alec Briley: 1-for-4, RBI, 2B
Ryan Burrowes: 1-for-4, R,
Jorge Corona: 0-for-3, RBI, SF
Jonathan Clark: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, K
Jackson Kelley: 1 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R
Pierce George: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, K, W
Cold Cat
Connor McCullough: 4 1/3 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 K
Runners-Up
Colby Shelton: 0-for-4, 2 K
Samuel Zavala: 0-for-3, BB, K
Jacob Burke: 0-for-4, K
Winston-Salem Dash 9, Bowling Green Hot Rods 8 (10 innings)
South Atlantic League Divisional Series Game 1
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