Charlotte Knights 6, Nashville Sounds 4 The Knights (58-47) stumbled out of the gate but worked their way back, and the headline is all about catcher Eric Haase. The new guy wasted no time. With the bases loaded in the first inning, he smashed a three-run double. Welcome to Charlotte, and maybe soon, Chicago. Haase, the veteran freshly cut loose by the Giants after 29 games, looked like a man with something to prove. Shane Smith, meanwhile, got roughed up early — two runs in the first, another in the second,
and suddenly that lead was gone. Nashville kept chipping away, and by the fourth, a walk, a swipe of second, a fielder’s choice and a ground out had the Sounds up 4-3.
But the Knights weren’t done. In the sixth inning, Tim Elko poked a single, and Haase uncorked a two-run bomb to right. That’s your game-winner. Riley Unroe tacked on a solo shot in the ninth for a little extra insurance. The bullpen was stellar, combining for five scoreless innings and allowing just two hits. Nothing doing for Nashville. Tanner McDougal set the tone with two clean frames, allowing one hit and striking out two as the Knights locked it down.
MVP
Eric Haase: 2-for-4, R, 5 RBI, 2B, HR
Runners-Up
Austin Hays: 2-for-4, R
Rikuu Nishida: 2-for-5, R, K
Tim Elko: 1-for-4, R, K
Riley Unroe: 1-for-4, R, RBI, HR, 2 K
Tanner McDougal: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K, WP, H
Zach Franklin: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, K, S
Jairo Iriarte: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, BB, K, W
Jaden Woods: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, H
Cold Cat
Shane Smith: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 7 K
Andy Weber: 0-for-4, K
Korey Lee: 0-for-4, 3 K
Caden Connor: 0-for-4, K
Birmingham Barons 7, Chattanooga Lookouts 1
The Barons (39-60) swung big in the third, and it was a full-on hit parade. Grant Magill ripped a leadoff triple, Samuel Zavala poked him home with a base hit, and Boston Smith kept the line moving with a double. Then Caleb Bonemer, who apparently only hits bombs, unloaded his 26th of the year for three runs.
The slugfest continued as Alec Briley whiffed, Anthony DePino took a free pass, and Colby Shelton decided to join the fun with a two-run shot. Six runs, and Chattanooga was already looking for the exit.
On the mound, the Barons were stingy. Chattanooga managed just four hits and a single run, and that was it. Drew Thorpe, making his Barons debut on rehab, breezed through four shutout innings, giving up just one hit and fanning five. The Lookouts finally mustered a run against Jared Kelley in the seventh, but by then, the damage was already done.
Birmingham wanted to make sure this one was plenty out of reach and tacked on a run in the eighth. Magill led off with a double, Zavala moved him over on a grounder, and a wild pitch did the rest.
MVP
Caleb Bonemer: 1-for-5, R, 3 RBI, HR, 2 K
Runners-Up
Colby Shelton: 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, K
Boston Smith: 3-for-5, R, 2B
Grant Magill: 3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, 3B, K
Ryan Burrowes: 2-for-3, BB, SB
Drew Thorpe: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 5 K
Pierce George: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 K, W
Carson Jacobs: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, BB, K
Nick Altermatt: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, K
Cold Cat
Jared Kelley: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R
Alec Briley: 0-for-4, K
Dylan Campbell: 0-for-4, K
Brooklyn Cyclones 8, Winston-Salem Dash 1
The Dash (54-45) stumbled right out of the gate and never got up, blown away by the Cyclones. Tommy Vail was rocked for four runs in the first on a solo shot, a walk, a double, and a three-run bomb to top it off. Brooklyn tacked on another in the second with a triple and an RBI single, just to twist the knife. The Dash finally manufactured a tally in the fifth when Calvin Harris singled, Derek Cerda took one for the team, Ely Brown walked, and Javier Mogollón worked a bases-loaded walk to force in the only Dash run. Brooklyn padded the lead with a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth to put the game away. Eight walks, three measly hits, a big fat 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, and 11 left on base.
MVP
Javier Mogollón: 0-for-3, RBI, 2 BB, 3 K
Runners-UP
Ely Brown: 1-for-4, BB
Jeral Perez: 1-for-5, 2B, 2 K, E
Calvin Harris: 1-for-3, R, BB
Jake Curtis: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Cold Cat
Tommy Vail: 3 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 4 K, HBP, L
Landen Payne: 2 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 K, HBP
Salem RidgeYaks 6, Kannapolis Cannon Baller 2
The Cannon Ballers (49-50) had their chances but couldn’t come through in the clutch. Salem cracked the ice with a solo shot in the third, but Kannapolis had an answer in the fourth. Nathan Archer doubled, scooted to third on Efren Teran’s bunt, and came home on Billy Carlson’s RBI ground out.
Starter Gabe Tanner got hit for four runs in the fifth, with Salem snatching control and never looking back. They tacked on another tally for good measure in the seventh off reliever Andrew Berg. The Ballers tried to stir in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded and one out, but all they could muster was a Nick McLain sac fly before Stiven Flores put a bow on the rally with a fly out. After that, nothing. It was six up, six down, and the Ballers slumped off with the loss.
MVP
Billy Carlson: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, SB, E
Runners-Up
Nick McLain: 1-for-2, RBI, BB
Nathan Archer: 2-for-3, 2 R, BB, 2B, K
Ryan Schiefer: 1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Cold Cat
Gabe Tanner: 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 5 R (4 ER), 3 K, L
Andrew Berg: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, K
DSL Mariners 5, DSL White Sox 0 (7 innings)
The DSL White Sox (16-24) bats were MIA. They managed just five singles with not a lick of pop and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, stranding seven. Their best chance came in the third when Felix Lebron poked a single but was erased trying to steal second. Samuel Luis followed with a fly out, Jose Suarez coaxed a walk, and Hector Hernandez singled to put runners on the corners. But Hernandez got greedy and was gunned down trying to steal second, and that was that. On the mound, Mario Sosa was the lone bright spot, spinning 1 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing one hit and two walks and striking out four.
MVP
Felix LeBron: 2-for-3, CS
Runners-Up
Hector Hernandez: 1-for-3, 2 K
Samuel Luis: 1-for-3, E
Mario Sosa: 1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 4 K, WP, HBP
Cold Cat
Alexander De Los Santos: 2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 2 K, PO, HBP
Fernando Graterol: 0-for-3, 3 K
Orlando Patino: 0-for-3, K
