Only Birmingham and Winston-Salem escaped the rain, with a Barons doubleheader sweep and a rogue extra inning from Kannapolis
There was plenty of inclement weather on the East Coast this weekend, causing several rainouts and postponements throughout the weekend. Kannapolis had to suspend their game Saturday evening while tied, 3-3 in the 12th inning. They did indeed finish the postponed game today — losing on a walk-off sac fly — however, Sunday’s game was also a no-go, getting canceled once again alongside the Charlotte Knights.
Birmingham Barons 3, Mississippi Braves 2 (Game 1) (Gameday Box) (Statcast Box)
Jake Eder made his third start for the Barons in the doubleheader opener, and he had a “better” outing than his previous start. But he it certainly wasn’t a glamorous one, as he gave up two runs and struggled with control while walking four batters. Eder’s eight Ks was a season high and he also had an enormous (and Double-A best today) 18 swing & misses — but he’s also yet to make it through five whole innings.
Interestingly enough, all of the game’s runs were scored in the first two innings. And Edgar Quero sparked the Birmingham offense right out of the gate in the first, driving a two-run double to right.
Edgar Quero with the 2 run double to get us started in the 1st!
2-0 Barons#bhambarons pic.twitter.com/BDQ8hkxmKd
— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) April 21, 2024
Upon Eder giving up two runs in the second, Cristopher De Guzman answered back in the bottom of the inning. It was his first Double-A appearance this year, and his first hit ended up being the go-ahead run that would ultimately win the Barons the game.
De Guzman’s first at bat with the squad scores a run!
3-2 Barons#bhambarons pic.twitter.com/fIU7bguarF
— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) April 21, 2024
Adisyn Coffey and Caleb Freeman were excellent out of the bullpen, allowing just two hits and one walk, and would walk away with the win and save, respectively.
Additional Barons fun fact of the day:
Barons outfielder Duke Ellis with a stolen base against the Mississippi Braves today.
Ellis has 15 stolen bases that lead the Southern League.#bhambarons pic.twitter.com/bchFNOW1y4
— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) April 21, 2024
(and those 15 SBs have come in just 10 games played!)
Birmingham Barons 4, Mississippi Braves 1 (Game 2) (Gameday Box) (Statcast Box)
Mason Adams was on the mound for Sunday’s nightcap, and outside of his first start of the year, he’s been excellent. He went for five frames today, giving up just one run (a solo bomb in the first) on four hits, walking one batter and striking out eight. Adams didn’t receive the run support he needed to get the win, but he still improved to a 2.81 ERA and is tied for most strikeouts in the Southern League, with 22.
Both pitchers were dealing, as the Barons weren’t able to scrape together any runs until late in the game, unable to get a rally going in the first six innings.
That is, until Alsander Womack tied it up in the seventh, 1-1.
ALSANDER WOMACK TIES IT UP IN THE BOTTOM OF THE 7TH!!!
1-1 Tie #bhambarons pic.twitter.com/uX5VZUoFP9
— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) April 21, 2024
Barons pitchers were pretty on the money today, and the bullpen was no different in the second game, with Gil Luna and Jordan Mikel not giving up any hits in their two innings of work. Their efficiency allowed the offense to hang in there and squeak out a doubleheader sweep thanks to Quero’s three-run walk-off bomb to end the game.
When you hit a walk-off home run, you get double posted!
The Barons win the series 5-1!
Next week the Barons travel to Chattanooga for a 6 game series! #bhambarons
@SouthernIntrig1 pic.twitter.com/fQR1TWl2pG— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) April 21, 2024
Bowling Green Hot Rods 7, Winston-Salem Dash 4 (Gameday Box) (Statcast Box)
The Dash dropped their final game to the Hot Rods despite a strong pitching performance from Winston-Salem starter Riley Gowens, who gave up just two hits in his six innings of work, striking out eight batters in the process. While he deserved to win the game, the bullpen had a tougher time keeping runners off the basepaths, walking five and giving up the six runs that would put the nail in the Dash coffin — especially after Zach Franklin gave up the winning three runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Winston-Salem put up four more hits than their opponents, with solid offensive days from Samuel Zavala, Wes Kath, and Colby Smelley, but leaving nine on base as a team proved to not be a winning strategy. Errors from Jacob González, Kath, and Gowens on a pickoff attempt also didn’t give them any favors.
Myrtle Beach Pelicans 4, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 3 (12 innings) (Gameday box) (Statcast box)
In a bit of an odd development, the Pelicans and CBs gathered back in Myrtle Beach on Sunday to complete one inning of baseball, but found themselves unable to play the regularly-scheduled contest. Given all the bastardization of rules this century, some that have now reached into the major leagues, perhaps tie games in baseball are an idea whose time has come.
Somehow this was OK to play in, but not the game scheduled for an hour later.
Pelicans walk it off for the first time this season in the bottom of the 12th! #MBPelicans | #YouHaveToSeeIt pic.twitter.com/ZQilsYEe1c
— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) April 21, 2024
Tonight’s game has been postponed. It will be made up when the Pelicans travel to Kannapolis in June.
Tickets for tonight are good for any future Pelicans game.
— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) April 21, 2024
Sorry, no spoiler alert, Kannapolis in fact was downed in the bottom of the 12th on a walk-off sac fly. Surely what those 5,125 fans came to see (seriously, I get that was the Saturday attendance, but that crowd is 25, please).
The Cannon Ballers bunched all of their scoring in Saturday’s fifth frame, with two RBI singles sandwiched around Caden Connor taking one for the team with a run-scoring HBP.
Billy Seidl had a mixed-bag of a game, pitching yesterday and blowing a 3-2 lead. Seidl allowed a leadoff single in the ninth which became the tying run after a steal, wild pitch and ground out. The erstwhile closer bristled up for two more innings after than, keeping the Pelicans contained through the 11th.