(25-38) Norfolk Tide 6, (32-31) Gwinnett Stripers 0
- Jim Jarvis, SS: 1-for-5, .293/.389/.422
- DaShawn Keirsey Jr., CF: 2-for-5, SB, .263/.298/.387
- Brewer Hicklen, RF: 1-for-5, SB, .324/.389/.530
- Aaron Schunk, 1B: 0-for-1, 3 BB, SB, .240/.308/.387
- Luke Williams, 3B: 0-for-1, 3 BB, .227/.305/.367
- Owen Murphy, SP: 5IP 6H 5R 4ER 1BB 6K, 4.91 ERA
The Stripers dropped a hard one, getting shut out by the Norfolk Tide and losing 6-0 while splitting the series at three games a piece.
Owen Murphy got the start and had an interesting game as he changed his pitch mix, nearly dropping his curveball entirely, in increasing his cutter usage significantly throughout the outing. Typically, Owen is primarily a fastball pitcher, thanks to his unique fastball that has an IVB that averages 18-22”, but those numbers were way down as he featured his cutter more.
Overall, Owen generated 17 whiffs, and most of his trouble came off of a grand slam he allowed to Tommy Pham, also on a cutter. Connor Thomas (2IP 2H 1ER 1BB 1BB 0K) came in relief for Owen and allowed a run of his own across two innings of work. With the offense struggling and still being shut out, Daysbel Hernández (2IP 0H 0R 2BB 2K) worked the final two innings and kept the Tide scoreless.
Unfortunately, the offense struggled throughout the game. They faced six different arms, drew a staggering nine walks, but only had one extra-base hit while going 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and stranding 13 on base. Every time the Stripers would threaten with runners on base they either hit into double plays, or struck out in clutch situations – including the first and second innings when they had runners on but hit into double plays each time. DaShawn Keirsey Jr., fresh off being added to the forty man roster, was the only hitter to collect more than one hit, however three players (Brett Wisely, Aaron Schunk, and Luke Williams) all got on base three times each, drawing three walks a piece.
(26-28) Columbus Clingstones @ (28-27) Rocket City Trash Pandas – Canceled/Rain
(22-32) Greenville Drive @ (30-26) Rome Emperors – Canceled/Rain
(22-35) Delmarva Shorebirds 4, (30-27) Augusta GreenJackets 0
- Conor Esssenburg, CF: 1-for-4, .246/.373/.449
- Juan Mateo, 3B: 1-for-4, .280/.325/.347
- Cooper McMurray, DH: 2-for-3, BB, .212/.361/.364
- Davis Polo, SP: 6IP 4H 2R 1ER 0BB 8K, 3.22 ERA
The GreenJackets just couldn’t get things started offensively as they struck out 11 times as a team, while collecting just four total hits all while failing to draw a single walk. They went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position, while stranding 10 on base. To put the cherry on top of it all, they also committed three errors in a game they will want to forget.
Davis Polo got the start for Augusta and turned in another strong start generating an astounding 20 whiffs on 84 pitches. The return from a shoulder injury has gone fantastic for Davis as he has leaned into his three pitch mix to great results. The first run he gave up came in the second inning when a triple turned into an inside the park home run, after an error by catcher Nick Montgomery. The second run came in the third inning when he hit Shorebirds catcher Nolaya, who then stole second, and took third on a throwing error by catcher Nick Montgomery. He then scored on a single with one out – that was the final run given up by Davis. Kendy Richard (3IP 4H 2ER 0BB 3K) replaced Davis Polo and gave up a pair of runs himself, one in the seventh and one in the ninth.
Offensively, the GreenJackets were unable to overcome the defensive mistakes as they struggled to get anything done with the bat. Cody Miller, now finding himself at the top of the lineup in Augusta, went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts – continuing his difficult 2026, though he did pick up a pair of stolen bases. Cooper McMurray got on base three times as he picked up a pair of singles and drew a walk. With just six total bases, it was a game to forget for Augusta offense.
