Memphis Redbirds 4, Charlotte Knights 1
Memphis wasted no time, tagging starter Douglas Nikhazy for three early runs. The 26-year-old, a spring waiver flier from the Cleveland Guardians, has been little more than a roster filler. Tonight, he went 3 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on five hits. The Redbirds tacked on one more tally for good measure off Tyler Gilbert in the sixth.
Charlotte (5-6) finally scratched out a run in the third, courtesy of LaMonte Wade Jr. He ripped the Knights’ lone highlight, an RBI double in the third, to plate Mario Camilletti. Despite smacking seven hits and working three walks, the club couldn’t get anything else going. The good news is Sam Antonacci stretched his hitting streak to 10 games, leading off the ninth with a single. His spring slash line: .342/.500/.526 with a 1.026 OPS.
Chattanooga Lookouts 6, Birmingham Barons 2
Regions Field was quiet early as both teams were held hitless through four innings. The Barons (2-4) struggled early and failed to build any momentum, exchanging quick outs with Chattanooga. It all happened fast for the Lookouts in the fifth inning, beginning with back-to-back solo shots off starter Lucas Gordon. Chattanooga took a 2-0 lead and they wouldn’t look back.
Chattanooga took advantage in the eighth inning and piled on with a series of extra-base hits, extending their lead to 6-2. Birmingham plated two runs in the bottom half of the inning on a sacrifice fly and a force out, but the damage was done. The Barons had plenty of baserunners (nine), but couldn’t piece together enough hits to complete their comeback, falling in a game where timely hitting made all the difference.
Winston-Salem Dash 8, Frederick Keys 3
The Dash (4-2) came out swinging, slapping three doubles in the first inning— by Caleb Bonemer, George Wolkow, and Jacob Burke. Just like that, they put four runs on the board. The Keys tried to make things interesting, clawing back to 4-3, but W-S slammed the door in the seventh. Bonemer uncorked a three-run blast, DePino chipped in with a solo shot, and that was all she wrote.
Grant Umberger did his job: five innings, two hits, one earned, five punchouts, and three walks. Jake Peppers tried to keep the train rolling in the sixth but promptly derailed, allowing a run on three hits and two free passes. Dash skipper Guillermo Quiroz summoned Luke Bell to put out the fire, and he did just that. Bell and Drew Conover finished things up, holding the Keys scoreless for the rest of the game.
Hickory Crawdads 3, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 0
The game was scoreless through four, thanks to Max Banks, who’s now two starts deep and still hasn’t surrendered a run. In four innings, he gave up one hit, one walk, and had seven punchouts. The White Sox selected him in the 14th round last year (No. 406), and the 22-year-old is making pro ball look easy so far.
Jeremy González took the ball for the fifth, and that’s when it unraveled. He served up two runs in the fifth, another in the sixth, and just like that, Hickory had all they’d need. The Ballers (2-4)? Four hits, three guys in scoring position, and not a hint of a rally.
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