Charlotte Knights 8, Memphis Redbirds 2
Drew Thorpe took the mound for his seventh start, with Sox fans crossing their fingers that he might someday soon bail out the big league club’s rotation mess. He tiptoed through trouble, scattering six hits and a walk for two runs in 4 2/3 innings while fanning three. Kyle Teel kicked off his rehab assignment by going 1-for-4 with a walk and a whiff.
The Knights (68-59) finally cracked switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje in the third, with Mario Camilletti and
Edgar Quero poking RBI singles for a 2-1 edge. Then came the fourth: Michael Turner, Dru Baker and Andy Weber singled before Riley Unroe unloaded his 10th bomb of the year, a two-run shot that gave Charlotte a 6-1 cushion. Two gift runs in the seventh padded the lead, and the bullpen — including rehabbing southpaw Chris Murphy — kept the Redbirds off the board for 4 1/3 innings to finish the win.
MVP
Riley Unroe: 2-for-2, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, HR
Runners-Up
Mario Camilletti: 1-for-4, R, RBI, BB, K
Edgar Quero: 1-for-5, RBI
Kyle Teel: 1-for-4, BB, K
Michael Turner: 2-for-5, R, K
Dru Baker: 1-for-4, R, RBI, SB, K
Andy Weber: 1-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, K
Tyler Gilbert: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, K, W
Cold Cat
Caden Connor: 0-for-4, K
Runners-Up
Drew Thorpe: 4 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 R, BB, 3 K
Ryan Galanie: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K, SB
Birmingham Barons 11, Rocket City Trash Pandas 8
The Barons (53-68) wasted no time, teeing off for four tallies in the first inning. Dylan Campbell and Caleb Bonemer worked back-to-back walks, Colby Shelton drove them in and Ryan Burrowes promptly unloaded a two-run shot. The Trash Pandas tried to make it a game with three runs in the second, but Bonemer and Alec Briley doubled their way to a 6-3 cushion. Rocket City pushed back with another three in the fourth, but the Barons shrugged and answered right away. James Taussig and Samuel Zavala slapped singles, then Bonemer absolutely vaporized his 34th homer of the year, a three-run missile that put Birmingham back on top, 9-6.
Taussig chipped in with a solo shot in the fifth, and Shelton’s sac fly tacked on another for good measure in the sixth. Bonemer, hitting second as the DH, was everywhere — just a triple short of the cycle and in the thick of every Barons rally. The Trash Pandas kept gnawing away, roughing up Carson Jacobs for two in the eighth before Jonathan Clark came out to hold on for the victory.
MVP
Caleb Bonemer: 3-for-3, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB, HR, 2B
Runners-Up
Alec Briley: 1-for-5, R, 2 RBI, 2B, K
Colby Shelton: 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, BB, SF, SB, K
Ryan Burrowes: 1-for-5, R, 2 RBI, HR, 2 K
James Taussig: 2-for-5, 2 R, RBI, HR, 3 K
Samuel Zavala: 2-for-2, 2 BB
Liam Paddack: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, BB, 5 K
Cold Cat
Carson Jacobs: 2/3 IP: 3 H, 2 R, BB, 2 K
Runners-Up
Dylan Campbell: 0-for-3, R, BB, SAC, SB, K
Winston-Salem Dash 8, Bowling Green Hot Rods 3
The Dash (67-53) crushed Bowling Green pitchers for eight runs on 14 hits. Every single hitter contributed, so there were no passengers in this 8-3 cruise. Winston-Salem wasted no time: George Wolkow ripped a two-run double in the first, then Nick McLain opened the second with a solo shot. Just like that, 3-0, and the Hot Rods were already chasing shadows.
Drew McDaniel did his job and then some, allowing only three hits and striking out six over four shutout innings without a whiff of trouble. Riley Gowens served up a three-spot in the fifth to let the Hot Rods back in, but the Dash were having none of it. Five runs, five hits, a walk and a gift-wrapped error later, the game was back in the bag. Kyle Lodise left the yard, McLain doubled, and Winston-Salem snuffed out any hope Bowling Green had of a rally.
MVP
Drew McDaniel: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 6 K
Runners-Up
Javier Mogollón: 4-for-5, R, RBI, CS, PO
Ely Brown: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 K
Kyle Lodise: 1-for-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, HR, SB
George Wolkow: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 K
Jeral Perez: 1-for-5, R, K
Kaleb Freeman: 1-for-4, R, BB, 2 K
Nick McLain: 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, HR, K
Jackson Appel: 1-for-3, R, BB
Derek Cerda: 1-for-4, 2 K
Jesus Mendez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Cold Cat
Riley Gowens: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, K
Hill City Howlers 7, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 6 (10 innings)
The Cannon Ballers (64-57) got on the board first with an unearned run to take a quick 1-0 lead, but Hill City answered right back with two tallies in the bottom of the frame. Alexander Albertus tied it up with a solo shot in the second before Hill City reclaimed the lead in the bottom half, tagging Gabriel Rodriguez for another run. The Howlers kept piling on against Blaine Wynk and Ryan Schiefer, eventually stretching their advantage to 6-2.
Kannapolis began clawing back in the seventh when Efren Teran delivered an RBI double and Jaden Fauske followed with a run-scoring single. Down to their final three outs, the Ballers completed the comeback in the ninth. Clay Burdette singled, Teran doubled and both scored when Fauske’s grounder to short resulted in a throwing error. Kannapolis couldn’t plate the ghost runner in the 10th, however, and Hill City needed only a sacrifice bunt and a walk-off single to hand the Ballers the L.
MVP
Jaden Fauske: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, SB
Runners-Up
Alexander Albertus: 2-for-4, R, RBI, BB, HR, 2 K
Efren Teran: 2-for-4, R, RBI, 2 2B
Nick Weyrich: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 2 K
Marco Barrios: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 2 K
Cold Cat
Grant Cleavinger: 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, BB, K, L
Runners-Up
Stiven Flores: 0-for-5, SB
Steven Lancia: 0-for-4, 2 K
