Norfolk Tides 4, Charlotte Knights 3 (7 innings, Game 1)
The Knights fell just short in the heartbreaking fashion in the first game of the doubleheader against Norfolk.
Corey Julks opened the game with a bang, as he led off by lining a triple to deep center. Will Robertson drew a walk, and Tim Elko drove in Julks with a sacrifice fly.
The Knights picked up a pair of runs in the fourth, when Dominic Fletcher drew a walk with one out. Two batters later, Jacob Aamaya came through in the clutch by launching a two-run homer.
At the time, Amaya’s blast gave the Knights a 3-1 lead.
Charlotte’s starting pitcher was [redacted], who lasted 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits. He allowed an RBI single in the second, and he allowed an unearned run on an RBI double in the sixth.
Knights reliever Ben Peoples took over on the mound for the Knights with one out in the sixth, and he stranded the potential tying run on second base in the sixth.
The score remained 3-2 until the seventh and final inning of the game. Although Peoples delivered in a big way in the sixth, the seventh was not so easy. José Barrero singled to lead off the inning and set the stage. Livan Soto drew a walk, and Maverick Handley singled to load the bases. From there, Daniel Johnson lined a walk-off single to deep right, and that was it for the opener.
Charlotte Knights 6, Norfolk Tides 1 (7 innings, Game 2)
The Knights were on top of their game in the nightcap of the doubleheader, as they pulled through with a convincing victory over Norfolk (52-66).
The Knights got right to work in the second, flexing their power early and often. Andre Lipcius launched his 17th home run of the season to open the inning. After this strong performance, Lipcius is slashing .246/.326/.475 in 82 games, all with the Knights.
Bryan Ramos followed by slicing a sharp double to set the stage for Blake Sabol. Sabol wisely took two pitches out of the zone before launching a cutter 400 feet to right-center. Just like that, Charlotte had a 3-0 lead.
The Knights were not done, as they built their lead in the third. With one out, Will Robertson reached on an error, Tim Elko drew a walk, and Lipcius singled to load the bases. Ramos struck out, but Sabol drove in a pair with a timely single that made the score 5-0. To top it off, Adam Hackenberg reached on Norfolk’s second error of the inning, and that extended Charlotte’s lead to six.
Charlotte did not score again, but they did not have to. Six runs was more than enough, as the pitching staff was in control. Bryse Wilson, Evan McKendry, Jairo Iriarte, and Zach Franklin combined to allow only one run on five hits.
Birmingham Barons vs. Rocket City Trash Pandas
The weather in Birmingham did not cooperate, so the Barons (70-45) were unable to play against the Trash Pandas (38-76).
Winston-Salem Dash 6, Wilmington Blue Rocks 3
The Dash (46-68) have opened up their series against Wilmington (50-65) with back-to-back victories in Winston-Salem.
With the game still scoreless in the bottom of the second, T.J. McCants set the table with a leadoff single for the Dash. After a ground out by Grant Magill and a Wes Kath fly out, it appeared that the Dash would not score. However, Ryan Burrowes extended the inning with a single, and after an error, the Dash had runners on second and third. That brought Samuel Zavala to the plate, and Zavala crushed a double to right to put Winston-Salem ahead, 2-0.
Dash starter Christian Oppor, 21, performed well, only allowing one run on three hits in four innings. Oppor also racked up seven strikeouts, as he was difficult for Wilmington to solve.
Relievers Jake Bockenstedt and Aldrin Batista each pitched two innings and allowed one run apiece. The run allowed by Batista put the Blue Rocks ahead by a score of 3-2, as the Dash struggled to score after Zavala’s double.
However, the Dash offense woke back up in time, as they put a hit parade together in the bottom of the eighth. Jeral Perez led off with a single, and although Alec Makarewicz popped out, the Dash had plenty of gas in the tank. Drake Logan and Kyle Lodise hit back-to-back singles to tie the game. McCants drew a walk to load the bases, and Magill reached on an error that allowed two runs to score. That put the Dash ahead by a score of 5-3, and that lead did not relinquish. For good measure, the Dash added an insurance run on a productive ground out by Kath.
Delmarva Shorebirds 6, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 1
Kannapolis (52-64) struggled offensively, and they ultimately came up short against Delmarva (43-72).
Nathan Archer led off the game by drawing a walk for the Cannon Ballers, and he advanced to second on a passed ball. Archer proceeded to score on an error to give Kannapolis an early lead. It is worth noting that even without the error, star prospect Caleb Bonemer singled with one out, so either way, Archer would have scored.
From that point forward, everything came up in favor of the Shorebirds, who scored six unanswered runs to end the game. It was not a day to remember for Kannapolis starter Kaleb Sophy, to say the least. Sophy issued six walks en route to allowing four runs, and he only retired one batter.
The pitching situation only got marginally better after Jake Peppers took over on the mound. Peppers entered the game in relief of Sophy, and Peppers allowed two runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings. Down the stretch, the Cannon Ballers bullpen performed admirably, as Kannapolis did not allow any runs after the second frame. However, given how much the offense struggled, it was too little, too late.