The affiliates went 2-2, with the Cannon Ballers scoring 14 to provide many of the highlights
Gwinnett Stripers 7, Charlotte Knights 4 (Statcast box)
Old friend James McCann came up big for Gwinnett (18-23), and the Knights (20-21) came up short to fall back below .500.
Knights pitcher Owen White, 25, got off to a slow start in the bottom of the first. With one out, Carlos Rodríguez singled, and McCann followed with a two-run homer. The Stripers led by a score of 2-0 until the top of the third, when the Knights had a response. Oscar Colás doubled and advanced to third on a ground out by Zach DeLoach. Jason Matthews walked and stole second, so the Knights had two in scoring position. With two outs, Korey Lee delivered a clutch two-run single to tie the game.
Korey Lee is Clutch!!
2-RBI Base Hit with 2 outs ties the score in the 3rd inning! pic.twitter.com/5O4ubYRJzP
— Charlotte Knights (@KnightsBaseball) May 14, 2025
The Stripers took the lead again in the bottom of the third. Jarred Kelenic hit a leadoff double, and with one out, McCann drove in another run with a single. That made the score 3-2, and the Stripers led from that point forward.
In the fifth, Kelenic walked and advanced to third on a single by Rodríguez. That set the stage for McCann, who picked up his fourth RBI of the night with a sacrifice fly. McCann added yet another RBI in the seventh with a double.
Down the stretch, the Knights scored one in the seventh, when Bryan Ramos walked and scored on a single by Matthews. The Knights picked up their fourth and final run in the eighth, when Kyle Teel singled and scored on a Colson Montgomery double.
Colson Montgomery’s 109mph RBI double brings the Knights a little closer!
Knights within three in the 8th inning pic.twitter.com/ZIZ4pOWGfW
— Charlotte Knights (@KnightsBaseball) May 15, 2025
However, the Knights needed more than four runs to win this game.
Birmingham Barons 1, Chattanooga Lookouts 0
Birmingham (17-16) scratched out a run against Chattanooga (16-18) starting pitcher Chase Burns, and that was enough to get the win.
Burns, 22, is the No. 11 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline, so Barons hitters had a tough job. Burns breezed through the first four innings, but DJ Gladney made sure that the Barons did not get shut out. With the bases empty and the game still scoreless, Gladney launched his second homer of the season to put the Barons ahead.
DJ Gladney with a solo home run gives Barons a 1-0 lead.
Riley Gowens gets his third win of the season. https://t.co/g7jcnnTSWU pic.twitter.com/NXdxvBSQcm
— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) May 15, 2025
As expected, Burns pitched very well overall, but he was charged with the loss, as that was the only run for either team.
Birmingham’s pitching staff took care of the rest, only allowing three hits, all of which were singles. Barons starter Riley Gowens was terrific during his six innings, only allowing two harmless hits. Grant Taylor, Tyler Davis, and Andrew Dalquist each pitched one scoreless inning in relief of Gowens.
Brooklyn Cyclones 7, Winston-Salem Dash 2
A monster fourth inning by Brooklyn (22-12) was ultimately too much for the Dash (12-23) to overcome.
After posting a 2.42 ERA and a 1.97 FIP in five starts with Kannapolis, 20-year-old starter Christian Oppor made his High-A debut. At first, Oppor was making easy work of the Cyclones, cruising through the first three innings without allowing any runs.
The fourth inning was not as easy for Oppor and the Dash. Oppor retired two batters in the fourth, but he issued a walk and allowed three singles. After the last single, Frankeli Arias took over on the mound. At that point, the game was tied at one, the bases were loaded, and there were two outs. Unfortunately, Arias allowed all three of those runners to score, and he allowed two additional runs. By the end of the inning, the Cyclones had put six on the board to take a 6-1 lead.
Meanwhile, the Dash only put two runs on the board this game. One of those runs scored on a solo homer by Braden Montgomery, which is no surprise.
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 14, Hickory Crawdads 3
The Cannon Ballers (19-16) wasted no time, as they took the lead in the top of the first and did not look back against the Crawdads (16-18).
Miguel Santos led off the game with a walk, and Nathan Archer singled to put runners on the corners. Caleb Bonemer drew a walk to load the bases with no outs. From there, a soft ground out to second base by Calvin Harris drove in the first run of the game. Lyle Miller-Green added a sacrifice fly to make the score 2-0.
In the second, Ryan Burrowes and Santos each launched a solo home run to double the lead to four. The Cannon Ballers added two more in the fourth, when Burrowes led off with a single, and Abraham Núñez walked. Burrowes and Núñez proceeded to score on a double by Archer that made the score 6-0.
Meanwhile, Cannon Ballers starter Seth Keener had a solid performance, only allowing two runs in five innings. The Crawdads put a double, a walk, and another double together with two outs in the fourth. Despite that rally, however, Keener’s performance was easily good enough for Kannapolis to win. Down the stretch, the Cannon Ballers offense could not be stopped. George Wolkow added a home run, and Kannapolis finished with 14 runs on 15 hits.