Charlotte Knights 2, Memphis Redbirds 0 (8 innings)
The Knights (45-38) won a tight, low-scoring game to even the series in Memphis against the Redbirds (49-34).
This game was all about Charlotte’s pitching staff, which was uncharacteristically dominant against Memphis. The 2026 season has been a rough one for Jonathan Cannon, but Cannon was terrific in this game. Cannon allowed zero runs on two hits in six brilliant frames. In addition, both hits by Memphis were singles, and Cannon did not issue
any walks.
The Knights needed every bit of that outstanding effort to come away with the victory. Charlotte’s offense has consistently been among the best in the International League this season, but tonight, that was not the case. This game was scheduled to be seven innings, and the Knights did not score until the eighth, when they got the free runner on second. Caden Connor struck out, and Andy Weber flew out to open that inning, so it appeared that the Knights would fail to score again. However, Rikuu Nishida walked, Dru Baker was hit by a pitch, and Dustin Harris walked to force in the game’s first run. Then, a wild pitch allowed Nishida to score an insurance run. Despite getting zero hits in the eighth, the Knights scored the only two runs of the game. Meanwhile, relievers Tyler Davis and Javy Guerra were terrific, and they locked it down to seal the deal.
Birmingham Barons 6, Montgomery Biscuits 5
The Barons (28-49) came through in high-leverage situations to beat the Biscuits (38-39) in Birmingham.
In the first, the Barons got off to a fast start, as Anthony DePino went deep for a two-run homer. DePino was our Baron of the Month in May and June, and he is showing no signs of slowing down. The Barons added a two-run homer in the second, with Brenden Dixon going deep to double Birmingham’s lead.
Barons starter Lucas Gordon had a solid start, only allowing two runs in five frames. However, the Biscuits did manage to go deep with a two-run homer in the fourth to cut Birmingham’s lead in half. The Barons got one of those runs back in the bottom half, when Grant Magill hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Dylan Campbell, who singled and stole a base to open the frame. As a result, when Gordon left the game, the Barons had a 5-2 lead.
The Biscuits scored one in the seventh and two in the eighth to tie the game at five, as the Birmingham bullpen did not have its best night. However, once again, DePino came to the rescue, as his RBI single to drive in Alec Briley resulted in Birmingham scoring the winning run.
Winston-Salem Dash 12, Greenville Drive 4
The Dash (44-33) fell behind early on, but they were not messing around in the latter portion of this game, and they ended up winning by a wide margin.
Shane Smith, 26, got the start for the Dash as part of a rehab assignment. Smith, who represented the South Siders as an All-Star in 2025, pitched two shutout innings. Smith only allowed one hit, which was a single, and he struck out two without issuing a walk.
Justin Sinibaldi, who played a big role in Winston-Salem’s solid month of June, ran into some trouble in this game, allowing four runs in five innings. When Sinibaldi left the game, the Dash trailed by a score of 4-2. The Dash picked up both of those early runs on a two-run blast by Kaleb Freeman, his seventh of the season.
The score remained 4-2 until the bottom of the seventh, when Arxy Hernández started a rally with a single. Hernández came around to score when Ely Brown reached on an error, and Ryan Burrowes picked up a timely single to drive in the tying run.
In the eighth, with the game still tied, the Dash went right back to work, and they did not leave any doubt in terms of this game’s outcome. Tanner McDougal, who is also on a rehab assignment, pitched a scoreless top of the eighth. Then, the bottom half arrived, and incredibly, the Dash drew six walks. Winston-Salem added three singles and a double to put the game away. By the end of the inning, the Dash had a 12-4 lead, and they proceeded to win by that score.
Wilson Warbirds 9, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 6
Kannapolis (37-40) dropped another game to the Warbirds (42-35), as the pitching staff could not be relied on in this game.
Cannon Ballers starter Truman Pauley, 22, did not have his finest performance, allowing four runs in five innings. Pauley’s most difficult inning was the third, when the Warbirds strung a walk, a single, another walk, and a double together for a three-run frame.
Despite the rough start, Kannapolis remained in this game for a long time. In the first, Jaden Fauske singled, he stole second, and he scored on a Stiven Flores single. Then, in the fourth, Nick McLain launched a two-run homer. At the time, McLain’s blast brought the Cannon Ballers back within one.
However, the Cannon Ballers did not get any closer. The Warbirds scored three in the sixth and two in the seventh to build a sizable lead. Kannapolis picked up two in the eighth on a single by Adrian Gil and a sacrifice fly by Christian Gonzalez. The Cannon Ballers also scored one in the ninth on an error, but the rally was too little, too late.
ACL Dodgers 4, ACL White Sox 1 (7 innings)
Another day, another loss for the ACL White Sox (12-31), who cannot seem to break their cold streak. This time, the ACL Dodgers (15-28) handed them a loss.
ACL White Sox starter Justin Fuson, 26, allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits in four innings. The ACL Dodgers picked up a pair of runs in the second and a pair more in the third to pull ahead. That turned out to be more than enough for them to come out ahead, as the ACL White Sox only scored one run. The ACL White Sox only scored on a solo homer by Jefrank Silva, whose time has been pretty evenly split between first base and third base.
