Gwinnett and Mississippi each split their doubleheaders, Sean Gilmartin turned in 6 innings of scoreless ball, and Joe Leonard, Tommy La Stella, and Edward Salcedo all went deep.
Toledo Mud Hens 2, Gwinnett Braves 3 - Game 1
- Ernesto Mejia, DH: 2-4, 2B, 2R, .276
- Luis Durango, CF: 1-4, R, SB(20), .275
- Eric Junge, SP: 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 3.07 ERA
- Cory Gearrin, RP: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, W(3-0), 1.31 ERA
In the first game of a doubleheader, Gwinnett won behind solid pitching from Eric Junge and Cory Gearrin. Junge started and went 6 innings, allowing only 2 runs on 8 baserunners while punching out 3 men. Cory Gearrin pitched the 7th and 8th, and was the winner when Gwinnett walked off on Jose Yepez's sacrifice fly. Gearrin had another stellar day out of Gwinnett's pen, going 2 innings of hitless ball with a strikeout, dropping his ERA to a sterling 1.31. Gearrin's WHIP is a hair under 1, and he's doing all he can to prove he belongs in a major league bullpen.
Toledo Mud Hens 7, Gwinnett Braves 4 - Game 2
- Luis Durango, CF: 2-2, 2 BB, 2 R, .286
- Felix Pie, LF: 1-3, 3B, 2 K, .250
- Ernesto Mejia, 1B: 1-3, 2 RBI, .278
- Yohan Flande, SP: 3 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 3.74 ERA
- Adam Russell, RP: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 2.65 ERA
Gwinnett didn't have it together for Game 2 of the doubleheader, falling behind early when a suddenly-mortal Yohan Flande gave up 4 runs in the first 3 innings. Flande started the year with 15.2 scoreless innings, but over his past 18 innings he's given up 14 runs, allowing 30 baserunners over that span. Adam Russell was the only G-Brave who wasn't scored upon, tossing 2 perfect innings in relief. Luis Durango was the only Brave to reach base multiple times - he had a perfect day at the plate with 2 walks. Felix Pie, the former Cub and Oriole, made his first start for Gwinnett since being signed this weekend, and rapped out a triple in 3 at bats.
Todd Redmond takes the mound for Gwinnett tomorrow.
Mississippi Braves 4, Huntsville Stars 5 - Game 1
- Evan Gattis, C: 0-2, BB, .304
- Keenan Wiley, RF: 2-4, 2 R, .349
- Jose Lugo, SP: 4 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 K, 3.18 ERA
- Luis Avilan, RP: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 3.26 ERA
Despite the close score, Mississippi didn't have much going on in Game 1 of their doubleheader either. 3 of the M-Braves' 4 runs scored on errors, and the lineup only mustered 5 hits on the afternoon, two off the bat of Keenan Wiley, who scored two of Mississippi's runs. Updating the Evan Gattis watch, the Braves' hottest prospect caught and went 0-2, but drew a walk. Jose Lugo had a forgettable start, allowing 10 baserunners over 4 innings on his way to giving up 5 runs. Luis Avilan had two strong innings in relief, allowing only one hit while striking a man out.
Mississippi Braves 6, Huntsville Stars 0 - Game 2
- Ian Gac, 1B: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, .227
- Todd Cunningham, CF: 2-3, 3B, RBI, R, .333
- Joe Leonard, 3B: 1-4, HR(1), 2 R, 2 RBI, .248
- Sean Gilmartin, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K, W(2-4), 2.82 ERA
The Braves bats came alive in the nightcap of the doubleheader, pounding out 6 runs on 9 hits. The big blow was a two run shot from Joe Leonard, his first of the year. Ian Gac had a 2-4 game with a double and 2 RBI, while Todd Cunningham went 2-3 with an RBI triple. Evan Gattis took the second game off after catching the first game. Sean Gilmartin only needed one run however, as he was masterful, shutting down the Stars over 6 innings of 5-hit ball with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. Despite an impressive 2.82 ERA, Gilmartin's win tonight was only his second of the year (further proof of how silly the win statistic is).
David Hale starts the rubber match against the Stars tomorrow.
Wilmington Blue Rocks 4, Lynchburg Hillcats 5
- Edward Salcedo, 3B: 3-4, HR(4), 2 R, 2 RBI, .270
- Chris Garcia, 1B: 3-4, 2B, RBI, .359
- Tommy La Stella, 2B: 1-4, HR(3), .294
- Cody Martin, SP: 6 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 K, W(5-3), 2.83 ERA
- Brett Cammons, RP: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, S(1), 1.50 ERA
Lynchburg won behind the long ball tonight, as both Edward Salcedo and Tommy La Stella blasted home runs off Wilmington's starter. Salcedo's was a two-run blast, and came as part of a 3 hit day, raising his average to .270. La Stella's was a solo shot, and was his only hit of the day. Chris Garcia also chipped in with a three hit day, including an RBI double. The bats supported a shaky start from Cody Martin, who allowed 11 baserunners over 6 innings, but managed to keep his team in a position to win by limiting the damage to 4 runs. Brett Cammons pitched the final 1.2 innings in scoreless relief to notch his first save of the year.
Gus Schlosser goes tomorrow for Lynchburg, looking to improve on his 5.02 ERA.
Rome Braves 0, Augusta GreenJackets 1
- Tony Mueller, CF: 2-3, SB(7), .241
- Brandon Drury, 1B: 1-4, 2B, .165
- Kyle Kubitza, 3B: 1-4, SB(5), .252
- Rafael Briceno, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 2 K, 5.97 ERA
Rome was shutout by Augusta tonight and lost 1-0 on an unearned run. Despite mustering 7 hits, the R-Braves just couldn't get a rally going. Tony Mueller was the only Brave to record multiple hits, as he managed two singles and also stole his 7th base of the year. Rafael Briceno was the tough luck loser tonight, going 6 innings of 5 hit ball and allowing only 1 unearned run. His strikeout to walk ratio is still pretty bad but today's start was definitely a step in the right direction.
Rome has not yet announced a starter for tomorrow.