Gwinnett Stripers 5, Charlotte Knights 3 Not only did the Stripers (69-67) outhit the Knights (74-63), 8-6, but a bullpen implosion in the eighth allowed Gwinnett to take the lead and ultimately win the game, 5-3. The good news is that Charlotte is still hanging in second place, on the cusp of a playoff berth. The bad news is that righthander Shane Smith really struggled with his command, unable to complete the eighth inning, surrendering three runs on two hits with three walks — one intentional
— and two wild pitches.
Charlotte’s offense mashed half of their hits (three) for extra bases, and went 2-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and the top of the lineup mostly carried the team. The Good Guys scored all of their runs in the third inning, igniting a two-out rally in the top of the third once the batting order flipped back to the top. Caden Connor set the tone with a leadoff base hit — his first of two — and Rikuu Nishida kept the inning rolling with a base hit of his own to bring up the power bats. Riley Unroe blasted a two-run triple to take the lead, and Ryan Galanie brought him right in on a two-out double to give the Knights a three-run lead.
Smith got off to a rough start as the Stripers tied the game with the first three batters the righty faced, and continued to fall off the rails, handing Gwinnett a two-run lead from a pair of wild pitches. The entire sequence of events before the Knights were able to get an out was … out of control: leadoff walk, bunt base hit, game-tying RBI double (3-3), walk, first wild pitch to giveaway the lead (4-3), intentional walk to load the bases, second wild pitch (5-3), ground out. Despite this being just his first blown save, Smith now owns a 6.06 ERA while receiving his second loss of the year. In his three previous innings of relief, Shane hadn’t allowed a single hit, but he just wasn’t on his game. It’s still possible that Smith will be able to lean into a relief role, but there’s definitely still some red flags about his performance his season.
MVP
Riley Unroe (3B): 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI, 3 K, 3B
Runners-Up
Rikuu Nishida (2B): 1-for-4, R, 2 K
Ryan Galanie (DH): 1-for-4, RBI, 2B
Caden Connor (LF): 2-for-4, R, K
Shane Murphy (LHSP): 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, BB, 3 K, PO, WP, HB
Huascar Brazobán (RHRP): 1 1/3 IP, H, 2 K, Hold
Cold Cat
Shane Smith (RHRP): 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 BB (1 IBB), 2 WP, Blown Save, LOSS (2-2)
Runners-Up
Joey Weimer (CF): 0-for-4, 2 K
Tim Elko (1B): 0-for-4, 2 K
Andy Weber (SS): 0-for-2, K, SB, HBP
Birmingham Barons 2, Biloxi Shuckers 1 (Opener — 7 innings)
Both the Shuckers and Barons posted four hits apiece, leaving it to the pitching staffs to duke it out, with Birmingham getting the edge and eventually snagging a 2-1 win. As the second batter of the game, Caleb Bonemer mashed a solo shot to give the Barons an early lead for lefthander Lucas Gordon, 1-0. Gordon was solid for his two frames, and he didn’t give up a hit though all three of his baserunners reached base on balls.
Somehow only yielding on run to Biloxi, the Barons pitching staff combined for eight walks, which was one more than they struck out (seven). Thankfully the Shuckers went 1-for-10 in all of their opportunities with runners in scoring position, and Birmingham was able to work with that.
They might have waited until the very last second, but the Barons took advantage on a couple of walks in the top of the seventh, and Jordan Sprinkle was able to come through in the clutch to drive in the go-ahead run on a base hit to right, 2-1. Biloxi managed to put the tying run aboard with a base hit, but Pierce George shut the door on the Shuckers, striking out the final batter to earn his first save of the season.
MVP
Jordan Sprinkle (2B): 1-for-3, go-ahead RBI in 7th, K
Runners-Up
Caleb Bonemer (CF): 1-for-3, R, RBI, BB, HR
Anthony DePino (1B): 1-for-3, K, 2B
Jacob Burke (LF): 1-for-3, R, K
Lucas Gordon (LHSP): 2 IP, 0 H, 3 BB, 2 K
Jonathan Clark (RHRP): 2 IP, H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, WIN (8-3)
Cold Cat
Dylan Campbell (RF): 0-for-4, 3 K
Runners-Up
Alec Briley (DH): 0-for-3, GIDP
Morris Austin (RHRP): 2 IP, 2 H, R, 3 BB, K
Biloxi Shuckers 8, Birmingham Barons 5 (Nightcap, makeup of September 4 game — 7 innings)
Up until tonight, righthander Juan Carela hadn’t surrendered more than three runs in an outing this season, but that unfortunately ended Saturday as the righty let up seven runs against the Shuckers (62-65) in the first inning, sending the Barons (57-74) home with a loss, 8-5. Carela secured the first out of the inning on the second batter, but that was the only out he managed to get. Before departing, the righty allowed all seven runs on four hits and three walks; the issue is that two of those four hits were home runs.
With four RBIs in the game on a 3-for-3 night, Jose Colmenares was the Birmingham standout player, finishing the game a triple short of the cycle without ever getting the chance. Colby Shelton belted the second homer of the night for the Barons to bring them within three, but with the seven-inning game, they ran out of time to complete the comeback.
MVP
Jose Colmenares (2B): 3-for-3, R, 4 RBI, 2B, HR
Runners-Up
Tommy Vail (LHRP): 2 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB
Phil Fox (RHRP): 1 IP, 2 H, BB, K
Colby Shelton (3B): 1-for-2, R, RBI, BB, K, HR
Jorge Corona (C): 1-for-3, R, K
Cold Cat
Juan Carela (RHSP): 1/3 IP, 4 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 2 HR, LOSS (2-3)
Runners-Up
Garrett Wright (RHRP): 2 IP, 2 H, R, 2 K, HR
Caleb Bonemer (DH): 0-for-4, K
Alec Briley (1B): 0-for-4
Ryan Burrowes (SS): 0-for-3
Jordan Sprinkle (LF): 0-for-3
Rome Emperors 13, Winston-Salem Dash 6Thankfully the Dash (73-57) clinched the playoffs with Friday’s win over the Emperors (60-68), because Rome outhit them today, 12-9, while popping off for 13 runs to snag the W, 13-6. Winston-Salem didn’t let up a single home run out of the 13 surrendered, but with 12 hits and 14 combined walks from the pitching staff they weren’t going to get very far.
Three doubles and two walks in the first tagged on four for the Emperors right away, leaving Drew Conover to take the L despite only tossing 2/3 of an inning. Out of the six pitchers they utilized, only one Dash pitcher — Jarold Rosado — was able to maneuver a scoreless outing, handling the final two innings without a hit given up.
The five RBIs from Winston-Salem were spread across five different players, though Jeral Perez, James Taussig, and Nick McLain combined to go 7-for-13 with three runs scored and three batted in. Both Perez and McLain accounted for one of the six doubles mashed by the Dash, though Taussig blasted all three of his hits for two bases. This was just the first loss of the series, so Winston-Salem will end the season with a series win before kicking off the division series on Tuesday, September 8.
MVP
James Taussig (DH): 3-for-5, R, RBI, K, 3 2B
Runners-Up
Jeral Perez (3B): 2-for-4, R, RBI, BB, K, 2B
Nick McLain (RF): 2-for-4, R, RBI, BB
Jarold Rosado (RHRP): 2 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, K, only pitcher to not let up a run
Cold Cat
Drew Conover (RHSP): 2/3 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 BB, K, HB, LOSS (2-1)
Runners-Up
Max Banks (RHRP): 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K
Christian Oppor (LHRP): 1/3 IP, H, 3 R, 3 BB, K, WP, HB
Jesus Mendez (RHRP): 1 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, BB, 3 K, WP
Delmarva Shorebirds 8, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 5
The Cannon Ballers (70-61) dropped their first game of the series Saturday as the Shorebirds (45-86) persevered with 11 hits, breaking the game open in the top of the eighth with a Delmarva grand slam before serving up the L to Kannapolis, 8-5. Lefthander Nick Pinto was overall solid in his scoreless, four-frame start, only letting up two hits while walking three and striking out three. Once the bullpen took over, however, things spiraled out of control with two runs scored in both the sixth and seventh before the four-run eighth that ruined the day for the Ballers.
Kanny had ample opportunities to push more runs across the plate, but went 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position while leaving 13 on base asa team. On top of their eight hits, the Ballers walked 10 times, but they weren’t remotely clutch in this one and fell flat. Grayson Fitzwater bolstered the bats with three doubles and two RBIs, going for a perfect 3-for-3 with two walks. Five Kanny hitters accounted for at least one hit, but the bullpen wasn’t able to hold out either way.
Even though the grand slam in the eighth put the nail in Kanny’s coffin, righthander Ryan Schiefer wound up with the loss after a pair of singles surrendered in the seventh gave the Shorebirds a one-run lead. Lefthander Luis Fonseca made an appearance for the final inning and kept Delmarva from scoring any additional runs, but the offense was tapped out.
MVP
Grayson Fitzwater (1B): 3-for-3, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 2B
Runners-Up
Nick Pinto (LHRP): 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
Alexander Albertus (3B): 1-for-3, R, RBI, BB, SF
Christian Gonzalez (LF): 1-for-4, R, BB, K
Jaden Fauske (DH): 1-for-2, 3 BB, 1-for-2 SB
Cold Cat
Ryan Schiefer (RHRP): 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, BB, 2 K, LOSS (4-3)
Runners-Up
Kendry Garcia (RHRP): 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, K, WP, Balk, HB
Frankeli Arias (LHRP): 1 1/3 IP, 3 H, 4 R, BB, 4 K, grand slam
Clay Burdette (RF): 0-for-5, 2 K
