The affiliates went 4-0 and outscored their opponents 31-17 in a dominant day
Charlotte Knights 7, Round Rock Express 4 (Statcast box)
The Knights (23-24) overcame an early deficit to defeat Round Rock (22-25) in Charlotte.
Knights starter Jesse Scholtens was not as sharp as usual, allowing three runs in 2 2⁄3 innings, although none of those runs were earned. In the first, Scholtens allowed a single, and he issued two walks. However, it was the two Knights errors (one by Andre Lipcius and one by Tristan Gray) that were very costly.
In the bottom of the second, Korey Lee put the Knights on the board with a solo homer, his first long ball of the year. Lee’s monstrous 439-foot homer made the score 3-1, and the Knights went back to work in the fourth. Corey Julks drew a leadoff walk, and Tristan Gray, Nick Maton, and Andrew Benintendi singled. Benintendi’s single tied the game at three.
Julks got on base to lead off the sixth, this time launching a double to right. Then, with two outs, Maton homered to center to put the Knights ahead. Maton’s 418-footer gave the Knights a lead that did not relinquish.
In the eighth, for the third time, Julks reached base to lead off an inning. His single set the stage for Gray, who crushed a two-run homer to make the score 7-3.
Birmingham Barons 7, Pensacola Blue Wahoos 2
The Barons (21-18) took full advantage of a disastrous seventh inning by Pensacola (23-18) to come out on top.
Barons starter Jake Palisch, 26, had a great game, only allowing one run on two hits in six innings. Palisch’s only blemish was a solo homer by third baseman Tony Bullard in the third. However, Bullard would proceed to give back that run (and then some).
Before going on any further, I am obligated to mention that the Blue Wahoos committed seven errors in this game. Bullard had an especially rough day in the field, as he committed four of those errors (three fielding errors and a throwing error).
Still trailing by a score of 1-0 in the seventh, the Birmingham offense tried to get on the board. The Pensacola defense certainly did its part, too. Ryan Galanie led off the frame by reaching on a Bullard throwing error that allowed Galanie to end up on second. The next batter, Jacob Gonzalez, hit a grounder to short that Jared Serna misplayed. That allowed Galanie to score the tying run, and Gonzalez reached second.
Gonzalez proceeded to steal third, and DJ Gladney and Jason Matthews walked. Although Adam Hackenberg struck out, Jacob Burke followed with a grounder to third. Those grounders to the left side of the infield continued to work for Birmingham, as Bullard bobbled it, allowing Gonzalez to score to make it 2-1. Rikuu Nishida got hit by a pitch, which forced in an insurance run. For a moment, it appeared that a grounder by William Bergolla would end the inning. First baseman Josh Zamora threw to Serna to get the force at second, and the Blue Wahoos were eyeing a 3-6-3 double play. However, Serna’s throw back to Zamora was off the mark, allowing two more runs to score. Holy smokes. The Barons really scored five runs in the top of the seventh without recording any hits.
In the eighth, Galanie reached on another two-base error by Bullard, and Gonzalez followed with a two-run homer to pad the lead. The Blue Wahoos got one of those runs back, but it was too little, too late.
Winston-Salem Dash 11, Hudson Valley Renegades 8
The Dash (14-27) hit the ball early and often en route to an unexpected, high-scoring victory over Hudson Valley (26-14).
Dash starter Frankeli Arias had a rough outing. The first three batters he faced reached base safely, and the Renegades converted that opportunity into two runs. Arias also allowed two in the third, and he was removed with two outs that inning. However, when Arias left the game, he was not in line for the loss.
In the bottom of the first, Cole McConnell walked, Jeral Perez was hit by a pitch, and Braden Montgomery walked to load the bases. With one out, Alec Makarewicz singled to drive in a run, and with two outs, Luis Pineda doubled to clear the bases. Pineda’s clutch hit capped off a four-run first inning.
With the game tied at four in the fourth, reliever Jake Peppers allowed the Renegades to retake the lead with a single, a triple, and another single. However, the Dash came right back in the bottom half with two runs of their own. Terrell Tatum walked before stealing second and third. Tatum’s excellent speed set up McConnell for an RBI single, and with two outs, Braden Montgomery drove McConnell in with a single.
A two-run homer by Renegades designated hitter Roc Riggio in the top of the sixth gave Hudson Valley a two-run lead again. This time, the go-ahead hit was allowed by Carson Jacobs. That was the only hit that Jacobs allowed in two innings, but it was a big one.
In the bottom of the sixth, Perez led off with a single, and Arxy Hernández singled with one out. After a pop out by Makarewicz, Samuel Zavala stepped up to the plate and lined a triple to right. Just like that, the game was tied yet again, and Zavala was not done. A wild pitch allowed Zavala to race home and score the go-ahead run. That lead would hold, as the Dash did not allow any runs down the stretch. Winston-Salem picked up an insurance run in the seventh on a productive ground out by McConnell. The final run was scored in the bottom of the eighth, on a solo homer by Pineda.
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 6, Columbia Fireflies 3
The Cannon Ballers (22-19) used a huge eighth inning to get past Columbia (23-18) on Wednesday.
Kannapolis scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the second, when Calvin Harris and George Wolkow hit back-to-back singles. That resulted in the Cannon Ballers having runners on the corners with no outs. Lyle Miller-Green followed with a soft grounder to third, and third baseman Derlin Figueroa tried to retire Harris at home, but Harris beat the tag. In the third, Ronny Hernandez launched a homer to double the lead.
Meanwhile, Cannon Ballers starter Seth Keener was cruising through three innings, but he allowed one in the fourth and two in the fifth. The Fireflies held onto their 3-2 lead until the eighth, when the Cannon Ballers offense woke up again. Caleb Bonemer reached on an error to lead off the inning, and Harris singled to put runners at the corners. George Wolkow popped out, but Harris stole second base to put two in scoring position with one out.
Miller-Green hit yet another soft grounder, and once again, Columbia’s infielder (shortstop Ángel Acosta, this time) tried to get the out at home. Once again, the throw was late, so the Cannon Ballers tied the game at three. From there, Ryan Burrowes walked to load the bases, and Mikey Kane laid down an excellent bunt. That resulted in the Cannon Ballers taking a 4-3 lead, and Abraham Núñez drove in a pair with a single. Reliever Jack Young sealed the deal for the Cannon Ballers with two shutout innings.