Lucas Braun threw seven no hit innings for Mississippi and just narrowly missed out on a combined no-hitter.
Sunday had some excitement with Lucas Braun nearly being a part of a combined no-hitter, EJ Exposito having a multi-homer afternoon and the Gwinnett offense just going off in their win. That doesn’t even get into the big days at the plate for Alejo López, Eli White, and Drake Baldwin or the first pro homer from Titus Dumitru.
Gwinnett Stripers (64-62) 11, Louisville Bats (57-67) 3
- Alejo López, 3B: 4-5, 2B, BB, 3 R, RBI, .312/.396/.401
- Brian Anderson, 1B: 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, R, .207/.320/.293
- Bryce Elder, SP: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 3.65 ERA
- Daysbel Hernandez, RP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 2.87 ERA
Gwinnett got a quality start out of Bryce Elder, as he allowed six runs on six hits and a walk over six innings. That ended up being all of the scoring from Louisville, as three relievers came on to keep them off the board in the late innings. Brian Moran, Tommy Doyle, and Daysbel Hernandez each went one scoreless frame, allowing just one combined base runner and collecting three strikeouts.
The Gwinnett offense was hot in this one. Brian Anderson homered and batted in three runs, and Chadwick Tromp also added three batted in. With Nacho Alvarez out of the lineup, Alejo López was in the lineup at leadoff and he went four for five with a walk to reach base five times and scored three runs, while Eli White had three hits and four runs scored. Brian Anderson added a two-run homer, while Drake Baldwin went three for five with an RBI. In total the Stripers had every starter contribute to their 18 hits with six guys batting in a run and six scoring a run.
Mississippi Braves (57-62) 4, Chattanooga Lookouts (39-80) 0
- Cody Milligan, CF: 3-4, SB, .234/.295/.348
- Lucas Braun, SP: 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 K, 2.36 ERA
- Patrick Halligan, RP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 2.33 ERA
Lucas Braun and the M-Braves were this close to pitching a combined no-hitter in this outing. Braun was dominant through seven no-hit innings, walking three and striking out 10 on 94 pitches. Braun was followed by Patrick Halligan, who kept the no-hitter alive by striking out the side without allowing any hits or runs either. Elison Joseph came on for the ninth to try to finish the job and after walking the leadoff hitter then getting the second batter to ground out, he allowed a double to Reds prospect Tyler Callihan before getting a double play via flout and outfield assist to end it keeping the shutout intact. Braun and Halligan struck out 13 with 18 swing and misses, 15 of them coming from Braun.
Offensively, Cody Milligan was the biggest producer in this one — going three-for-four and stealing a base, with Sebastian Rivero adding a double and two RBI in the win. The rest of the offense was fairly quiet, though Bryson Horne reached base multiple times by going one for two with a walk in three plate appearances. Geraldo Quintero was one for three with a run scored and one batted in, as well as getting the final out of the game with an outfield assist to second base.
Greenville Drive (59-61) 3, Rome Emperors (57-59) 2
- EJ Exposito, SS: 2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, .235/.307/.418
- Drew Compton, 1B: 1-4, 2B, .273/.364/.384
- Riley Frey, SP: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 2.50 ERA
Riley Frey turned in five solid innings but took the loss anyway in this game. Frey allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk with five strikeouts as he kept the ball on the ground in this one. Rob Griswold, Austin Smith, and Ryan Bourassa pitched the next three innings and kept the Drive from scoring any additional runs while giving up just one hit and one walk between them.
The offense was the EJ Exposito show and not much else here, as the shortstop slugged his 12th and 13th homers of the season and accounted for all of the Rome runs in this game. In fact, the rest of the team managed a Drew Compton double and singles from Kevin Kilpatrick and Nick Ward as all of their hits outside of the Exposito homers.
Carolina Mudcats (71-47) 7, Augusta GreenJackets (42-74) 5
- Titus Dumitru, DH: 1-4, HR, RBI, R, .231/.310/.327
- Junior Garcia, LF: 2-4, 3 RBI, .118/.261/.129
- Jacob Shafer, SP: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 2.00 ERA
Jacob Shafer made his third start for Augusta and the recent draft pick turned in another solid but short outing. Shafer allowed just one unearned run over three and a third, as he gave up three hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Shafer was followed by Kadon Morton, who was touched up for five runs in an inning of work, and put this one out of reach for Augusta. Anthony Garcia would allow a run over an inning and two thirds before both Reibyn Corona and Albert Rivas went on to throw scoreless frames.
After struggling mightily since being called up at the end of the FCL season, Junior Garcia continued his potential breakout week in this one. Garcia went two-for-four with three runs batted in, which makes him six for his last 24 with seven RBI — a major upgrade from where he was at before last week. Recent draft pick Titus Dumitru hit his first professional homer, while fellow draftee Colby Jones was one for two with a pair of walks and a run scored. Another draft pick, Jake Steels managed to throw out two different runners at third base from his centerfield position.