Zebrowski drove in four and scored three runs for the Clingstones
(26-45) Gwinnett Stripers 3, (35-36) Charlotte Knights 9
- Jurickson Profar, DH: 2-4, BB
- Jonathan Ornelas, SS: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, R
- Eddy Alvarez, 2B: 1-4, HR, RBI, R
- Ian Anderson, 0.2 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, K
Jurickson Profar made his second “rehab start” for Gwinnett on Wednesday as he awaits his suspension to expire and he can rejoin the big league roster. We’ll get to his performance in a moment.
Ian Anderson got the start and, simply put, it was abysmal. He only managed to toss two-thirds of an inning before being pulled. As has been the case for the majority of his career, walks ultimately doomed Anderson as he walked four batters and only struck out one as Charlotte tagged him for five earned runs in the first inning to chase him from the game. The bullpen didn’t fare much better, as four relievers combined to give up four runs as Charlotte ultimately plated nine runs in the game.
At the plate, there were a few decent performances for the Stripers. Profar managed to go 2-4 on the day with a walk. His first inning single came off the bat at 103.4 miles per hour, while his fifth inning base hit was a bloop at 73.7 miles per hour.
Eddy Alvarez and Jonathan Ornelas also had solid days at the plate, as both infielders tallied a homer — Alvarez with a solo shot, and Ornelas with a two-run bomb.
Swings and misses
Ian Anderson — 2
Kevin Herget — 4
Rolddy Munoz — 0
Hayden Harris — 0
Enoli Paredes — 3
(25-36) Columbus Clingstones 2, (34-30) Birmingham Barons 3
- Drew Compton, 1B: 2-3, 2B, RBI, R
- Cal Conley, SS: 1-3, RBI
- Lucas Braun, SP: 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Despite getting a solid start from Lucas Braun in game one of Columbus’ doubleheader, the Clingstones ultimately came up short, losing by one run to Birmingham — which would be a common theme on the day for Columbus.
In his six innings of work, Braun scattered seven hits, but only allowed two runs as he managed to work his way out of a few jams. He also only issued two walks and struck out five on the night as well. However, his offense didn’t help him out much as the Clingstones only tallied four hits on the night.
Drew Compton had a solid day, going 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while Cal Conley tallied a hit and drove in a run as well.
The nail in the coffin for Clingstone in this one came in the bottom of the seventh as Elison Joseph managed to get just two outs in the frame, but also walked the bases loaded before walking in the game-winning run for the Barons, handing Columbus the 3-2 loss.
(25-37) Columbus Clingstones 7, (35-30) Birmingham Barons 8
- Adam Zebrowski, C: 3-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R
- Cade Bunnell, 1B-2B: 2-5, 2B, RBI, R
- Stephen Paolini, RF: 4-4
- Amos Willingham, SP: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 K
Anytime you have a guy who smashes a pair of homers and drives in four runs, the odds that you’ll come out on the right side are typically in your favor. However, that was not the case for Columbus in game two of their doubleheader despite Adam Zebrowski putting up his best game of the season at the plate thus far.
After tallying just four hits in game one, offense was not the problem for the Clingstones in game two. Stephen Paolini went 4-4, Cade Bunnell went 2-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored to accompany Zebrowski, who went 3-4 with two home runs and four RBI on the night.
While the offense was clicking, the same couldn’t be said for the Clingstones pitching staff and defense in this one. Starter Amos Willingham lasted just 1.2 innings and gave up three runs — two earned — in the process. The bullpen proceeded to give up five runs, but only three of which were earned.
This one ultimately went into extras as Columbus managed to tie the game at 6-6 on a Bunnell single into center field to score Geraldo Quintero. Things went back-and-forth in extras, but the Clingstones — trailing 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth — were ultimately unable to plate the tying run in the loss.
(29-36) Rome Emperors 1, (25-40) Winston-Salem Dash 3
- Lizandro Espinoza, CF: 2-4, HR, 2B, RBI, R
- Patrick Clohisy, LF: 1-3
- Jacob Kroeger, SP: 4 IP, H, 2 BB, 4 K
Rome managed to outhit Winston-Salem in their matchup on Wednesday, but the Emperors ultimately came up short, losing by a 3-1 final.
While he is older for the low-A level, starter Jacob Kroeger put up a nice start for Rome. Across four scoreless innings, the lefty allowed just one hit and issued two walks while striking out four. On the season, Kroeger has posted a 2.09 ERA across his 38.2 innings of work, adding 55 strikeouts to his credit. At 25-years-old, Kroeger should be getting the bump up to Rome here in the near future to see if he can replicate his success at the next level.
At the plate, things went relatively well, but the Emperors couldn’t find a way to string any meaningful offense together as they were held to just one run on the night. However, that one run came in the form of a solo homer off the bat of Lizandro Espinoza, who also added a double to his credit on the night as well.
(33-30) Augusta GreenJackets 9, (41-24) Lynchburg Hillcats 6
- Owen Carey, 4-5, 3B, 2 RBI
- Douglas Glod, DH: 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
- Luis Sanchez, 3B: 1-4, 2 RBI
- Justin Militello, SP: 4 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Augusta was the lone minor league team among Braves affiliates to notch a win on Wednesday, beating Lynchburg by three runs.
It didn’t take long for the GreenJackets offense to click, as Augusta plated six runs in the bottom of the second to take the lead. Augusta got several key contributions in the inning, including RBI hits from Douglas Glod, Colin Burgess and Roiber Niazoa, and even scored a run after taking advantage of a Hillcat error to make it 4-0. The biggest breakthrough though, was a triple off the bat of Owen Carey that dropped into the right centerfield gap and rolled away from the outfielders who were playing more shallow than usual. Two runs scored on Carey’s triple and the GreenJackets extended their lead to 6-0.
Augusta tacked onto their lead, scoring one run in the bottom of the fourth and two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 9-3 lead.
Meanwhile on the mound, starter Justin Militello was solid, allowing just one run in four innings of work while striking out four on the night.
Lynchburg attempted a late comeback, scoring once in the seventh and two more in the ninth to cut the Augusta lead to three runs. However, reliever Albert Rivas ultimately settled down and closed the door to cap off the win.