Charlotte Knights 1, Gwinnett Stripers 0
Pitching ruled the night as Charlotte (72-63) and Gwinnett locked horns for eight innings. Jonathan Cannon took the ball and delivered 5 1/3 shutout frames, allowing three hits and no walks while recording four punchouts. The bullpen was nails, hurling 3 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit — a single off Tanner McDougal to open the ninth. Shane Smith got some work in the seventh. Since skipper Chad Pinder shifted him to relief last week, Smith has rattled off three straight hitless outings, though he’s handed out three free passes.
The bats were mostly sleepwalking, mustering seven singles, but they found the clutch hit in the ninth. Mario Camilletti poked a one-out base hit and scooted to second on a wild pitch. Riley Unroe drew a walk, and Dru Baker delivered the RBI knock. Rikuu Nishida promptly rolled into a double play, but the run had scored, and that was all Charlotte needed. Kyle Teel sat this one out; Korey Lee handled the catching duties, and Edgar Quero slotted in as the DH.
Postseason watch: The Knights are a dark horse for a playoff spot, but if they go on a hot streak, anything is possible.
MVP
Dru Baker: 1-for-4, RBI, K
Runners-Up
Jonathan Cannon: 5 1/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Tanner McDougal: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K, W
Shane Smith: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB
Mario Camilletti: 2-for-4, R, K
Cold Cat
Korey Lee: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K, E
Runners-Up
Junior Perez: 0-for-3, BB, SB, 2 K
Jake Cave: 0-for-3, BB
Birmingham Barons 3, Biloxi Shuckers 2
Birmingham (56-73) and Biloxi traded early jabs, then settled into a 2-2 deadlock that dragged from the third through the eighth. The Barons got on the board first, scoring on a bases-loaded walk, only for the Shuckers to punch back with two tallies in the bottom half. Anthony DePino, doing what he does, leveled things in the third with a solo blast, his 19th Double-A homer. Then the bats went silent.
Finally, the Barons broke through in the ninth. Jordan Sprinkle coaxed a one-out walk, swiped second and then watched Dylan Campbell reach on a pop-up that should have been routine. Chaos followed with a double steal, putting runners at second and third. Caleb Bonemer whiffed, but the third strike skipped away, allowing Sprinkle to dash home with the go-ahead run. Jackson Kelley gave up a one-out single in the bottom half but retired the next two batters. Ballgame.
Postseason watch: With first-place Rocket City losing, the third-place Barons moved to within one game of a playoff spot because second-place Knoxville already qualified by winning the first half.
MVP
Anthony DePino: 2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, BB, HR, K
Runners-Up
Jordan Sprinkle: 1-for-3, R, BB, 3 SB, OA, 2 K
Dylan Campbell: 1-for-2, R, SB
Carson Jacobs: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
Phil Fox: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, W
Jackson Kelley: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, K, S
Cold Cat
Alec Briley: 0-for-4, BB, 4 K
Runners-Up
Riley Gowens: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K, E
Colby Shelton: 0-for-4, 2 K
Jorge Corona: 0-for-4, 3 K
Jacob Burke: 0-for-4, 2 K
Winston-Salem Dash 11, Rome Emperors 5
After falling behind 1-0 in the first, the Dash (72-56) pulled even on Nick McLain’s sacrifice fly in the second. Rome grabbed the lead right back, but Winston-Salem got its act together in the fourth. Kyle Lodise worked a free pass, swiped second and hustled to third when George Wolkow reached on an error. Jeral Perez bounced into a double play, but Lodise crossed the plate anyway. James Taussig then uncorked a solo shot to put the Dash on top, 3-2.
Wes Kath and Rylan Galvan kicked off the fifth with back-to-back singles before Ely Brown bunted them over. After Javier Mogollón lined out, Lodise reached on yet another Rome miscue, allowing both runners to score. Perez went deep in the sixth, and the Dash kept the party going with five more runs, capped by a two-run Mogollón bomb in the ninth. Starter Justin Sinibaldi did enough for the win, allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits and two walks with three punchouts over five innings.
Postseason watch: With tonight’s win, the Dash moved into first place, overtaking the playoff-bound Bowling Green Hot Rods. Winston-Salem holds a 2 1/2-game lead over the third-place Greenville Drive.
MVP
James Taussig: 2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, BB, HR
Runners-Up
Jeral Perez: 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, HR
Rylan Galvan: 2-for-4, 2 R, PB
Javier Mogollón: 1-for-5, R, 2 RBI
Justin Sinibaldi: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K
Cold Cat
Ely Brown: 0-for-4, K
Runners-Up
Jesus Mendez: 1 1/3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, BB, K
Kyle Lodise: 0-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB, SB, 2 K
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 13, Delmarva Shorebirds 0
Kannapolis (69-60) ran wild in this one, racking up 14 hits and going an impressive 9-for-18 with RISP. The Ballers got things moving in the second inning with a little minor-league chaos. With two outs, Clay Burdette walked, swiped second and advanced on a wild pitch before Jake Berkland drew a walk. Cue the double steal — Burdette scored, and Berkland took third when the throw sailed somewhere into the Carolina night. Then Landon Hodge poked a single, Berkland trotted home and it was 2-0 Ballers.
Kanny wasn’t done clowning the Shorebirds. With two outs in the third, Steven Lancia slapped a single, Grayson Fitzwater ripped an RBI triple and Alexander Albertus doubled him home.
Just like that, it was 4-0, and the rout was on. In the sixth, the Shorebirds’ second baseman booted one, two more unearned runs crossed and it was 6-0. That should have been plenty, but Kannapolis kept piling, tacking on seven more runs over the final two frames. The eighth was a parade, with 12 hitters coming to the plate and six runs scoring without a single ball leaving the yard.
The arms were just as sharp. Gabe Tanner spun six shutout innings, scattering four hits and two walks while striking out three. The bullpen was equally impressive, with Luis Fonseca and Marco Barrios combining for three more scoreless innings and allowing just one lonely single.
Postseason watch: No playoffs for the Cannon Ballers. All the spots are clinched. They had a great second half though!
MVP
Gabe Tanner: 6 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K, W
Runners-Up
Abraham Núñez: 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI
Alexander Albertus: 4-for-5, R, 2 RBI, 2B
Clay Burdette: 1-for-3, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SB, K
Landon Hodge: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, K
Jaden Fauske: 2-for-5, 2 R, RBI, SB, 2 K
Luis Fonseca: 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, BB, 3 K
Cold Cat
Jake Berkland: 0-for-3, RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB (only player without a hit)
Runners-Up
Steven Lancia: 1-for-5, R, K (only player without an RBI)