It was an absolute action-packed day down on the farm, as all four teams in Atlanta’s system put up a respectable day both on the mound and at the plate.
(67-64) Gwinnett Stripers 4, (58-72) Louisville Bats 5
- DaShawn Kiersey, Jr., RF: 2-4, HR, RBI, R
- Jim Jarvis, SS: 1-5, 3B, 2 RBI
- JR Ritchie, SP: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Box Score
Despite attempting a late-inning comeback, Gwinnett ultimately came up short, losing by one run on Sunday.
JR Ritchie got the start and while he didn’t have his best stuff, he was still good enough to keep the Stripers in the game for a while. Across 5.1 innings of work, Ritchie surrendered three runs on five hits and three walks while striking
out four on the day.
All told, August has been very good to Ritchie, who ends the month with an ERA of 2.52 across 25 innings of work, while striking out 24 and limiting opposing batters to a .189 batting average.
Back to Sunday’s action, the Stripers got on the board first as DaShawn Kiersey Jr. launched a solo homer in the second inning to make it a 1-0 lea for the Stripers.
Gwinnett found themselves trailing 4-1 headed into the seventh when Jim Jarvis tripled home Chuckie Robinson and Luke Williams to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Louisville tacked on another run in the eighth inning, which proved to be massive for the Bats.
The Stripers got that run back in the top of the ninth as Williams scored on a throwing error to make it a 5-4 game. Unfortunately, that was all the offense Gwinnett could muster in this one as the Stripers fell just short.
(59-62) Columbus Clingstones 6, (56-70) Chattanooga Lookouts 2
- Jordan Groshans, 3B: 3-5, HR, 3B, 2 RBI, R
- John Gil, 2B: 5-5, 2B, RBI, R
- Alex Lodise, SS; 1-5, 2B, R
- Carson Taylor, 1B: 1-5, HR, 2 RBI, R
- Owen Carey, RF: 2-5, 2B, RBI, R
- Eric Hartman, LF: 0-5, 2 K
- Julio Robaina, SP: 3 IP, 3 H, BB, 4 K
Box Score
Columbus rode a stellar night at the plate in which the Clingstones registered 15 total hits, and an all-around good performance from the pitching staff in which four arms combined for nine innings of two-run ball.
Julio Robaina got the start and tossed three scoreless innings, while striking out four and scattering three hits. Anderson Pilar tossed 2.2 innings, giving up two earned runs in what was the only blemish on the pitching staff on the day, as Rolddy Munoz and Tyler LaPorte rounded out the night of solid relief pitching.
At the plate, it was an all-hands-on-deck approach and boy, did it pay off.
Jordan Groshans paced the offense by going 3-5 with a homer — his 30th of the season — and a triple, while driving in two runs and scoring one run on the night.
We’ve now reached the point in which Groshans should probably be considered for a September call-up to the big league club at this point. Across 393 plate appearances, Groshans is currently carrying an OPS of .932 in addition to his 30 homers on the season. Sure, it’s double-A ball, but given his pedigree and the fact this has been his career-best year, why not give him a shot in the big leagues?
While Groshans garnered most of the attention on Sunday, let’s not overlook John Gil’s performance, as the 20-year-old went 5-5 on the night as he continues his incredibly hot start to his double-A career.
In 96 plate appearances with Columbus, Gil is currently hitting .323 to go along with an OPS of .832 after Sunday’s performance. It’s a smaller sample size, sure. But it’s incredibly encouraging to see from Gil, especially given the fact he has only struck out 19 times and walked an even dozen, which suggests his approach at the plate has progressed significantly.
In other highlights at the plate, Carson Taylor launched a homer of his own, while Alex Lodise and Owen Carey both doubled, with the latter registering an RBI to his credit as well.
(59-64) Rome Emperors 11, (56-67) Greenville Drive 12
- Dixon Williams, LF: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
- Mason Guerra, 1B: 2-5, HR, RBI, R
- Tanner Smith, C: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
- Conor Essenburg, RF: 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R
- Blayne Enlow, SP: 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K
Box Score
This one was a tale of two offenses, as both teams combined for 23 runs scored, 23 hits and 12 total walks recorded on the day. Unfortunately for Rome, they were on the short end of the stick in the affair.
Blayne Enlow served as the opener in this one, tossing a pair of scoreless innings while striking out three. By the end of the day, seven Emperors would take the mound in this one as the bullpen gave up nine earned runs total on Sunday.
Offensively, the Emperors more than held their own in this one.
Dixon Williams, Mason Guerra and Tanner Smith each registered a homer, while Williams drove in three of Rome’s 11 total runs, with Smith tallying two of his own.
For Williams, who currently carries an OPS of .809 with Rome after Sunday, his power surge this season has been one of the more underrated storylines throughout what has been a historic season across Atlanta’s minor league levels.
After swatting just two homers across 96 plate appearances in 2025, Williams has gone on an incredible tear to leave the yard 22 times in 386 plate appearances here in 2026. He is undoubtedly destined for Columbus to start next season and it will be interesting to see if the power surge continues once he hits double-A.
On another note from the day, Conor Essenburg also had a solid night at the plate, going 2-3 with a double, a walk and RBI to his credit as well.
(68-57) Augusta GreenJackets 10, (47-76) Myrtle Beach Pelicans 8
- Parker Brosius, RF: 1-4, HR, RBI, R
- Junior Tillien, 3B: 1-3, 2B, 3 RBI, R
- Jacob Jarrell, C: 1-3, 2B, R
- Will Holmes, SP: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, 3 K
Box Score
Augusta put together one of the best comebacks you’ll see this season, as the GreenJackets rallied to score nine runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to stun Myrtle Beach and come away with the win.
Before we get to the madness, let’s look at how we got there.
Undrafted free agent Will Holmes made his professional debut on Sunday, as the righty got the start on the mound for Augusta. It was an ok start, as Holmes tossed 2.2 innings, giving up three earned runs while walking one and striking out three in the process.
At the plate, Augusta scored their first run in the bottom of the second inning as Parker Brosius launched his third homer of the season to make it a 2-1 Myrtle Beach lead.
Over the next five innings, the GreenJackets would be held off the scoreboard.
That is, until all hell broke loose in the eighth.
Trailing 8-1, Junior Tillen worked a leadoff walk before advancing to third on a single from Manuel Campos and later scoring on a wild pitch to make it an 8-2 deficit.
Caleb Klein and Juan Mateo then proceeded to lace back-to-back singles to plate Campos, cutting the Myrtle Beach lead to 8-3. Klein then proceeded to come home on a wild pitch, pulling Augusta within four runs.
Following a Cooper McMurray walk, Brosius grounded into a forceout for the first out of the inning, but Mateo managed to score, making it an 8-5 game. Jacon Jarrell proceeded to draw a walk before Caden Merritt struck out for the second out of the inning.
Following a Matt Scannell walk to load the bases, Tillen then unloaded the bases with a double, scoring Brosius, Jarrell and Scannell to miraculously tie things up at 8-8.
Augusta wasted no time in taking the lead, as Manuel Campos singled home Tillen to give the GreenJackets the 9-8 advantage. In the next at-bat, Klein singled home Campos to give Augusta a much needed insurance run, making it a 10-8 lead for the GreenJackets.
In the top of the ninth, Styven Perez came on and slammed the door on a stunned Myrtle Beach to cap off the incredible comeback and give Augusta the win.
