Omaha Storm Chasers 3, Charlotte Knights 2 (Statcast box)
The Knights (62-78) hitters got cold after the third inning, so they came up short against the Storm Chasers (57-81) for the second straight day.
Ben Cowles led off the game with a single for the Knights, and he proceeded to steal his 18th base of the season in 26 attempts. Drake Logan and Tim Elko struck out, but Andre Lipcius ensured that the Knights cashed in on the scoring opportunity. Lipcius sliced an RBI double to give the Knights an early
1-0 lead.
The Knights scored their second and final run in the third, when Dru Baker led off with a single. Two batters later, Logan crushed a sharp liner for an RBI double.
Knights pitcher Jonathan Cannon, 25, got the start for Charlotte, and he had a decent outing. Omaha got on the board against Cannon and the Knights on a wild pitch in the second. In the third, Nick Pratto led off with a solo homer, but after that, Cannon did not allow any runs. Cannon pitched five innings, allowing those two runs on three hits. Cannon issued four walks while only striking out three, but he found ways to limit the damage.
Runs were hard to find for both teams against the relievers. However, in the eighth, with the score still tied at two, the Storm Chasers scored the winning run. MJ Melendez launched a solo homer against reliever Garrett Schoenle. That blast put Omaha ahead by a score of 3-2, and the Storm Chasers held that lead.
Biloxi Shuckers 8, Birmingham Barons 7 (10 innings)
Despite a pair of clutch rallies, the Shuckers held off the Barons for a close victory in Birmingham.
Tanner McDougal, 22, was the starting pitcher for the Barons, and it turns out that he is human. McDougal had an uncharacteristically rough start, as he allowed four runs in the top of the first. McDougal remained in the game to pitch a scoreless second frame, but his outing was finished after that. McDougal needed 51 pitches to make it through two frames, and he allowed four earned runs on three hits.
Despite the disastrous first inning, the Barons did not stay behind for long. In the third, Jordan Sprinkle hit a one-out single to start the rally. Sprinkle, the stolen base machine, swiped second for his first steal with Birmingham. Across 96 games in Kannapolis and Winston-Salem, Sprinkle stole 77 bases in 86 attempts.
From there, Rikuu Nishida walked. After Nishida’s walk, Sprinkle and Nishida executed a double-steal to put a pair in scoring position. Sam Antonacci drew a walk, and with two outs, DJ Gladney stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded.
Gladney crushed a grand slam to tie the game up at four. That was Gladney’s ninth homer of the season, and it came at a very clutch moment.
Surprisingly, though, pitcher Tyler Schweitzer allowed three runs in the fourth inning. Schweitzer salvaged his outing, as he pitched four frames, and he did not allow any damage outside of the fourth. However, Schweitzer was in line for the loss when he left the game.
The Barons got two of those three runs back in the fifth, when Sprinkle drew a leadoff walk, and Nishida laid down a bunt for a single. Antonacci drove in Sprinkle with a double, and Nishida scored on a productive ground out by Ryan Galanie.
The score remained 7-6 until the bottom of the ninth, when the Barons came through with the tying run. With runners on second and third with two outs, Alec Makarewicz delivered a clutch single to tie the game. The next batter, Jorge Corona, struck out, but some damage was done, and the game headed into the 10th.
The Shuckers drove in the free base runner in the 10th, but reliever Caleb Freeman did not allow any other runs. The Barons needed two to win and one to send the game into the 11th, and they came up empty.
On Wednesday, the Arizona Fall League rosters were announced, and the White Sox have quite a few players on the list. Braden Montgomery, Hagen Smith, Sam Antonacci, Tyler Davis, Ryan Galanie, Carson Jacobs, Connor McCullough, and Jarold Rosado will be in the AFL. Additional details about those who are joining the AFL can be found here.
