Charlotte 5, Norfolk 3
Danny Hayes hit a three-run blast in the 1st inning to give the Knights a lead they would never relinquish. Hayes, who was the subject of a FutureSox article yesterday morning, is hitting .472 over his last ten games and has hit four home runs in his last seven contests. The Knights have sent up eight players to Chicago thus far this season and one has to wonder if Hayes could be the ninth. Shortstop Tim Anderson also had a solid game, going 2-5 with a double and a stolen base.
Starter Chris Volstad was the recipient of the early run support and did not waste it, throwing five shutout innings before giving up two runs in the sixth. Reliever Blake Smith struck out four batters over 2.2 innings and Tommy Kahnle closed the game with 1.1 perfect innings.
The Knights will play two Tuesday as they face Norfolk in a double-header to make up for an April 12th postponement. The starters for these games have yet to be announced.
Birmingham 9, Jackson 8
Tyler Danish struggled badly for the first time since Opening Day but the Birmingham offense was voracious as they racked up 18 hits. Eudy Pina, Nicky Delmonico, and Joey DeMichele each had three hits on the night to lead the offense. Delmonico has not cooled off at all since his torrid April and is hitting an impressive .352/.424/.636 on the season. Lead-off man Eddy Alvarez doubled, tripled, and walked and Nick Basto (playing left field) went 2-5 in his Barons debut.
Danish persevered through 5.2 innings, giving up six runs on nine hits and two walk, though he did strike out six batters. Reliever Kyle Hansen came on and allowed his first two earned runs of the season, but closer Peter Tago earned his third save by throwing a scoreless 8th and 9th inning.
The Barons send Jordan Guerrero to the bump as they continue their series against Jackson.
Lakewood 4, Kannapolis 1
The Intimidators bats were stifled and Luis Martinez gave up four runs over 4.2 innings as Kannapolis dropped the game to Lakewood on Monday. Tyler Sullivan and Johan Cruz both went 1-3 with a walk and Cruz’s single drove in their only run.
The Kannapolis bullpen was a highlight as Ryan Riga and Matt Ball combined to blank Lakewood over the last 4.1 innings. Ball was especially impressive, striking out two over his two innings and only allowing one baserunner via a hit. Ball was a starter in 2014 and 2015 but struggled badly, posting a 7.26 and 8.16 ERA respectively. The White Sox moved him to the bullpen this season and the results are encouraging, his strikeout rate has jumped dramatically and his walk rate is at a career low.
Kannapolis faces off against Lakewood again on Tuesday and the starter has yet to be announced at this time.
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