White Sox Minor League Update: April 19, 2023

The Knights clawed their way back into this game after facing a five-run deficit early on. However, the Bats walked it off to wrap up a thrilling game.

Charlotte got on the board first, as Evan Skoug launched a home run in the top of the second. That was the second home run of the young season for the designated hitter. The positive vibes did not last long after the homer, though, because Louisville reached base frequently against A.J. Alexy in the bottom half. Matt McLain got hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the second, and Matt Reynolds walked. A sacrifice bunt put two in scoring position with one out, and Henry Ramos tied the game with a single. Then, with two outs, Jhonny Pereda delivered a three-run blast to put the Bats ahead, 4-1.

In the third, Alexy walked two and allowed a single. He was removed with the bases loaded and two outs that inning. Andrew Pérez tried to strand all three runners, but two of them scored on another single by Ramos. Suddenly, the Knights had a large deficit, as it was 6-1.

In the sixth, control eluded Bats reliever Ricky Karcher, and the Knights took advantage. Victor Reyes got hit by a pitch to open the inning, and with two outs, Nate Mondou walked. A wild pitch resulted in two runners being in scoring position. Jake Marisnick drew a walk that would have normally resulted in the bases being loaded, but instead, it was a passed ball, and Reyes scored. Marisnick stole second, and Hamilton reached on a crucial error that scored a couple. Just like that, the Knights were back within two.

The score remained 6-4 until the ninth, when the Knights broke through against Hunter Strickland. Hamilton led off with a double, and with one out, Zach Remillard walked. Yolbert Sánchez singled to bring Charlotte within one, and Reyes tied it with a single of his own.

Looking to send the game into extras, the bottom of the ninth started out well. Of the first three batters, the Bats only put a runner on first with a walk, while their other two hitters struck out against Lane Ramsey. However, Matt Reynolds drove in the winning run with a game-ending double.

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The pitching staff was outstanding during Birmingham’s victory over the Blue Wahoos, and a few early Barons runs were enough.

Moisés Castillo got the party started with a one-out double in the first, and Yoelqui Céspedes drove him in with a timely single. Then, in the third, the Barons doubled their lead. Duke Ellis singled to lead off the inning, and scored. How did he score? Well, Ellis was picked off of first base, but the threat that comes with his speed caused the throw to first to get past the first baseman, and Ellis motored all the way around the bases for a run.

In the bottom half, the Blue Wahoos scored for the first and last time. Matt Thompson issued back-to-back walks and a single to open the frame. From there, Pensacola got a run on a ground out, but Thompson did not allow any further damage.

In the fourth, the Barons took control when Tyler Osik walked, and Chris Shaw was hit by a pitch. That set Xavier Fernández up with an RBI opportunity, and he drove in a run with a double. Ben Norman tacked on one more with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1.

The Barons did not score after that, but they did not need to. It was a great day for Birmingham’s bullpen, which combined for four shutout innings, only allowing three hits.

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The Dash offense did damage early and often against the Tourists, and Winston-Salem held on for a 7-5 victory.

The Tourists got on the board first, in the bottom of the first inning. Dash starter Norge Vera struck out back-to-back batters to open the game, but after a single and two walks, the bases were loaded. In addition, Vera had to leave the game due to concern about a potential injury. Haylen Green took over on the mound, and he walked in the first run of the game before ending the inning.

In the second, getting on base was no problem for the Dash. Wes Kath hit a leadoff single, and with one out, Alsander Womack hit an RBI double to tie the game. Keegan Fish and Jason Matthews drew back-to-back walks, and a productive ground out by Terrell Tatum put the Dash in front. In the third, Wilfred Veras doubled Winston-Salem’s lead with a solo home run. That was his second home run of the season, and his OPS is up to an impressive .945.

In the bottom of the third, the Tourists used three doubles to tie the game at three. However, the Dash took the lead for good in the fourth. Tatum drew a one-out walk before stealing second, and Loidel Chapelli Jr. drove him in with a single. DJ Gladney singled to put runners on the corners, and Chapelli scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-3.

The Tourists got back within one in the fifth, when Joey Loperfido showed off some excellent base running. After a leadoff single, he stole second and third before scoring on a wild pitch. The only other three Tourists to bat that inning struck out.

In the sixth, the Dash scored their last two runs of the game. Jason Matthews and Tatum walked, and after Matthews stole second and third, Tatum stole second. That set up Veras with two in scoring position, and he drove both of them in with single. Winston-Salem’s bullpen allowed one more run, but that was it.

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The Cannon Ballers nearly let this one slip away, but they walked it off in an unusual manner to win by a score of 8-7.

Kannapolis starter Shane Murphy had a quality start with nine strikeouts and no walks, though not everything went smoothly. In the top of the first, Dominic Keegan launched a solo home run to give the RiverDogs an early lead. Kannapolis did not trail for long, though, as Jordan Sprinkle reached via hit by pitch, and Tim Elko drove him in with a double.

In the second, the Cannon Ballers went to business early on. Troy Claunch and Johnabiell Laureano opened the inning with back-to-back singles. That set the stage for Kannapolis to do some damage, and Logan Glass did just that, as his three-run homer made it 4-1.

The Cannon Ballers remained up by three until the fourth, when the RiverDogs used a hit by pitch and two doubles to get back within a run. However, Kannapolis got those two insurance runs back in the fifth with three walks, a single by Drake Logan, and a force out that drove in a run. Kannapolis added one more in the sixth with two walks, a productive ground out, and a wild pitch.

Entering the eighth with a 7-3 lead, reliever Mark McLaughlin ran into trouble after pitching a scoreless seventh. The RiverDogs opened the eighth with the bases loaded and no outs after a single and two walks. McLaughlin got a big strikeout, but a two-run single made it 7-5. McLaughlin picked up one more strikeout, but the RiverDogs kept the inning alive with a walk and a single to make it 7-6. At that point, Zach Cable took over on the mound. Cable issued a walk to force in the tying run, but he stranded the other runners he inherited in addition to pitching a scoreless ninth.

In the bottom of the ninth, with the game tied at seven, the Cannon Ballers scored without a base hit, just as they did in the sixth. This time, Brooks Baldwin drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and advanced to third on a productive ground out. He was 90 feet away from scoring the winning run, and the batter, Drake Logan, did not need to do anything — a wild pitch allowed Baldwin to race home to start the celebration.

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