While Mississippi held off a comeback attempt to get the lead and Rome came away with a win as well, the real story in Atlanta’s farm system on Wednesday was Jhancarlos Lara, who tossed an absolute gem for the Emperors. With that and other performances on the day, there was plenty of action, so let’s dive in.
(51-59) Gwinnett Stripers 1, (55-55) Memphis Redbirds 2
- Michael Harris II, DH: 3-4, RBI
- Yuli Gurriel, 1B: 3-4, 2 2B
- Jackson Stephens, SP: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 K
Box Score
Gwinnett lost a heartbreaker in the ninth inning for the second time in as many games on Wednesday. After losing 7-6 to Memphis on Tuesday, the Stripers fell by a 2-1 final after coming back in the game’s final frame.
Starter Jackson Stephens only lasted three innings, but was efficient in that short stint as he scattered just two hits and struck out a pair while holding the Redbirds scoreless. Despite outhitting Memphis by a 12-9 margin, the Stripers only run on the night came in the top of the fifth when the game was still scoreless.
Luis Liberato and Zack Short laced back-to-back one out singles before Michael Harris II — who made his second rehab start with the Stripers on Wednesday — singled into right field to plate Liberato to give Gwinnett the 1-0 lead. In total on the night, Harris II went 3-4 while driving in the Stripers only run.
After Stephens gave way to the bullpen, Gwinnett’s relievers continued the good work on the mound for the most part. Brian Moran tossed three scoreless frames of his own while Dylan Lee tossed a pair of scoreless innings while striking out three batters. The Stripers’ downfall came in the bottom of the ninth when reliever Daysbel Hernandez allowed four singles in the frame as Memphis scored two runs to take a 2-1 lead and walk things off against the Stripers.
(48-55) Mississippi Braves 5, (57-46) Pensacola Blue Wahoos 4
- Tyler Tolve, C: 3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R
- Bryson Horne, DH: 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB
- Darius Vines, SP: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 4 BB
Box Score
Mississippi staved off a late inning comeback attempt by Pensacola on Wednesday to hang on for the one-run victory.
After both squads were held scoreless in the first two innings, the Braves finally struck gold in the bottom of the third frame. With two gone, Justin Dean drew a walk and proceeded to steal second to end up in scoring position. Cal Conley brought Dean home on a single to make it 1-0 Mississippi before Yolbert Sanchez notched a single of his own to put runners on the corners. After Sanchez stole second base, Tyler Tolve singled back up the middle to plate both runners, extending the Mississippi lead to 3-0.
Braves starter Darius Vines enjoyed that three-run lead for exactly one inning before Pensacola scored their first run in the top of the fifth and another in the top of the sixth to cut the Mississippi lead to 3-2. In total, Vines tossed 5.1 innings of two-run ball while scattering six hits on the night.
After the Blue Wahoos scored once more in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 3-3, the Braves retook the lead in the home half of the eighth inning. With one out, Tyler Tolve doubled into right field before KeShawn Ogans singled him to third. Then, Bryson Horne doubled home Tolve to make it 4-3 prior to Ogans scoring on a Bryson Worrell groundout to extend the lead to 5-3 in favor of the Braves.
In the top of the ninth, with reliever Patrick Halligan on the mound, Pensacola scored one run in the inning to cut the lead to 5-4. After Elison Joseph came on to get the final out with the tying run just 90 feet away, Joseph got a groundout to end the game and hand Mississippi the win.
(49-51) Rome Emperors 4, (60-43) Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Drew Compton, 1B: 3-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, R
- Carlos Arroyo, 2B: 1-3, HR, RBI, R, BB
- Jhancarlos Lara, 6 IP, 0 H, BB, 12 K
Box Score
The Emperors rode what was arguably Jhancarlos Lara’s most dominant start of his young career to a win on Wednesday, as the 21-year-old righty absolutely annihilated the Greensboro offense.
Before diving into Lara’s start, his offense staked him to an early lead. In the top of the first inning, Drew Compton launched a solo home run over the right field wall to give Rome the 1-0 lead. Just two innings later, Carlos Arroyo got in on the fun as the 23-year-old tallied a solo homer of his own to extend the Rome lead to 2-0. With two outs in the inning, Ethan Workinger laced a double into center field before a Jace Grady single brought Workinger home to make it a 3-0 Emperors lead.
Meanwhile on the mound, Lara was dicing up the Grasshopper offense in every way imaginable. Across six innings of work, Lara managed to hold Greensboro hitless while striking out a whopping 12 batters — including six of the first nine he faced on the day. In his last four outings, Lara has spun a sparkling 1.19 ERA across 22.2 innings while scattering just nine hits and striking out 34 batters.
In the top of the seventh, Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. notched a two-out double and later scored on a Compton single to make it a 4-0 game and give Compton his second RBI on the day.
After Lara gave way to the Rome bullpen, Riley Frey picked up right where his starter left off and struck out four batters across his respective three innings of work. While Frey did allow one run, that was the only damage he allowed as he got the save and secured the win for Rome.
(36-63) Augusta GreenJackets , (47-52) Charleston River Dogs (POSTPONED)
Tropical storm Debby continues to make its way up the Atlantic coast, and with it, raining out multiple games, including Augusta’s Wednesday matchup against Charleston.
(14-28) DSL Braves, (13-28) DSL Royals Fortuna (CANCELED)
Much like Augusta, the DSL squad fell victim to the weather and had their contest canceled on Wednesday as well.