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Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In seven starts this season, Burkhalter has a 2.70 ERA. Much like their big league counterparts, it was a brutal Friday for Atlanta’s minor league affiliates as every team came away with a loss in their respective games.
(39-46) Gwinnett Stripers 5, (43-41) St. Paul Saints 11
Andrew Velazquez, 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
Eddie Rosario, LF: 1-4, 3B, R
Nacho Alvarez Jr., SS: 2-5
Dylan Dodd, SP: 4 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, BB, 5 K
Box Score
There was an influx of new faces suiting up for Gwinnett on Friday as the Stripers ultimately fell to St. Paul.
After both squads were held scoreless in the first inning, the Stripers crossed the plate first in the top of the second inning. With two outs, Luke Waddell singled and Luis Liberato doubled him to third. An Andrew Velazquez single brought both Waddell and Liberato home to stake the Stripers to a 2-0 lead. Nacho Alvarez Jr. singled Velazquez to third as Drake Baldwin followed that up with a single of his own to score Velazquez and extend the Gwinnett lead to 3-0.
While enjoying the 3-0 lead, Gwinnett starter Dylan Dodd was tagged for three runs as St. Paul tied the game at 3-3. For the next two innings, both squads went back and forth.
In the top of the third inning, the newly-signed Eddie Rosario tripled with one out before Waddell brought him home on a sac fly to make it a 4-3 game in favor of the Stripers. However, in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Saints tied the game, scoring another run off of Dodd.
From that point forward, St. Paul ran away with the game, scoring eight unanswered runs before the Stripers scored once more in the top of the ninth on a solo homer off the bat of Velazquez to make it a 11-5 final as Gwinnett fell on the night.
(36-43) Mississippi Braves 3, (37-41) Biloxi Shuckers 8
KeShawn Ogans, 3B: 2-4, RBI
Bryson Horne, 1B: 2-4
David Fletcher, SP: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Box Score
It was a rollercoaster rider of a game for Mississippi on Friday — albeit a short one.
After Biloxi went down in order to start the game, the Braves quickly jumped out to a three-run lead. But the first inning offense would be the only true offense the Braves would be able to string together on the night.
Cody Milligan and Cal Conley led off the bottom of the first frame with a pair of singles to put a runner in scoring position. Yolbert Sanchez proceeded to lay down a sacrifice bunt and while it worked, Biloxi committed a throwing error, allowing both Milligan and Conley to score while Sanchez advanced all the way to third on the play. In the very next at-bat, KeShawn Ogans singled into right field, scoring Sanchez to extend the Mississippi lead to 3-0 and give the Braves their only RBI on the night.
With David Fletcher on the mound, Biloxi scored one run in the top of the second and later tied the game in the top of the fourth at 3-3. While Fletcher only allowed two earned runs across 6.1 innings, the Shuckers would score five runs across the final two innings.
Outside of their three-run first inning, the Braves offense was stifled as they were held scoreless for the rest of the game as Mississippi was handed the 8-3 loss.
(41-37) Rome Emperors 2, (45-34) Bowling Green Hot Rods 3
Nick Ward, 2B: 1-2, HR, RBI, R
Stephen Paolini, RF: 1-3, 3B, RBI, BB
Blake Burkhalter, SP: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K
Box Score
Rome got a solid start from Blake Burkhalter on the mound — the second consecutive start in which the righty has gone at least five innings — but the offense failed to provide enough run support in the loss.
Across those five innings, Burkhalter scattered five hits while allowing just two runs and striking out six batters. On the season, the 2022 draft pick has started seven games on the mound while tossing a 2.70 ERA between Rome and Augusta.
As Rome went scoreless in the first two innings, Bowling Green scored two runs in the bottom of the second to take a 2-0 lead. In the top of the third, the Emperors finally got on the board as Nick Ward launched a solo home run over the right field wall to make it a 2-1 deficit. Rome tied the game in the next inning. After E.J. Exposito drew a one-out walk, Stephen Paolini tripled him home to tie the game at 2-2.
The game remained tied after five innings, as Elison Joseph relived Burkhalter on the mound in the bottom of the sixth frame. However, the Hot Rods would score the go-ahead run off Joseph in the sixth inning and the Emperors failed to score the rest of the night as Bowling Green took the 3-2 victory.
(33-46) Augusta GreenJackets 2, (44-35) Columbia Fireflies 8
Jacob Godman, C: 1-2, HR, RBI, R, 2 BB
Luis Sanchez, 2B: 2-3, BB
Adam Shoemaker, SP: 4 IP, 2 H, 5 BB, 6 K
Box Score
Despite getting four solid innings from starter Adam Shoemaker, a late collapse by the Augusta bullpen was the ultimate downfall as the GreenJackets lost to Columbia on Friday.
The game was scoreless for the first three innings, but the GreenJackets struck first, scoring in the bottom of the fourth inning as Jacob Godman homered to give Augusta the 1-0 lead. The GreenJackets doubled down, scoring again in the bottom of the fifth inning. Robert Gonzalez drew a leadoff walk and subsequently stole second base and moved up to third on a throwing error. Then, with Isaiah Drake at the dish, Gonzalez would be waved home via a balk to give Augusta a 2-0 lead.
Despite walking five batters, Shoemaker managed to keep Columbia off the scoreboard for his four innings of work. Anthony Garcia took over in the fifth inning and continued the good work, tossing three scoreless frames of his own.
However, Augusta reliever Reibyn Corona would take over in the eighth and allowed six runs as the Fireflies took a 6-2 lead. Columbia then added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth, scoring twice more off Rolando Gutierrez to make it an 8-2 game, which would hold as the final.
(13-31) FCL Braves 4, (28-16) FCL Rays 6
Alen Pineda, 1B: 2-3, HR, RBI, R
Josnaider Orellana, C: 2-3, RBI
Jhonly Taveras, SP: 0.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 BB
Box Score
In what was a true back-and-forth affair, the FCL Braves came away with the short end of the stick, losing to the FCL Rays in a seven inning contest.
In the top of the first inning, John Gil drew a leadoff walk and moved up to second on a wild pitch. While one wild pitch is bad, the Gil took advantage of two more wild pitches to move up to third base and ultimately crossed the plate to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. After Gil scored, John Estevez drew a walk of his own and stole second base before Douglas Glod walked. A singled by Josnaider Orellana brought Estevez across to extend the lead to 2-0.
The Rays would tie the game up in the bottom of the first, scoring two runs off of Braves’ starter Jhonly Taveras who issued five walks in just two-thirds innings of work. The Rays would take the lead in the bottom of the second, scoring one run to make it a 3-2 game.
In the top of the third, the Braves tied things up, plating one run off of Estevez scored on a passed ball to make it a 3-3 game.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Rays scored two runs, giving them a 5-3 lead on the day. The Braves got one of those runs back in the top of the sixth as as Alen Pineda launched his first homer of the year to make it a 5-4 deficit. However, the Rays added an insurance run in the home half to extend their lead to 6-4 which would hold as the final.
(6-14) DSL Braves 2, (18-5) DSL Giants Black 3
Juan Espinal, CF: 1-3, HR, RBI, R, BB
Manuel Dos Passos, C: 1-3, RBI, BB
Sebastian Estiven, SP: 3 IP, 2 BB, 3 K
Box Score
The DSL Braves came up short, falling by one run to the DSL Giants squad by one run on Friday.
The Braves struck first in the second inning, as Juan Espinal launched his second homer of the year over the left center field wall to give the Braves a 1-0 lead.
Meanwhile, starter Sebastian Estiven tossed three hitless innings and struck out three batters in his start. However, the Giants tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, scoring one run off reliever Anferni Gonzalez to knot things up at 1-1.
The Braves retook the lead in the top of the sixth inning as Manuel Dos Passos singled home Carlos Monteverde to make it a 2-1 Braves lead. Things looked good for the Braves until the bottom of the ninth, as the Giants scored two runs in the frame to walk things off and get the 3-2 win.
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Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In seven starts this season, Burkhalter has a 2.70 ERA. Much like their big league counterparts, it was a brutal Friday for Atlanta’s minor league affiliates as every team came away with a loss in their respective games.
(39-46) Gwinnett Stripers 5, (43-41) St. Paul Saints 11
Andrew Velazquez, 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
Eddie Rosario, LF: 1-4, 3B, R
Nacho Alvarez Jr., SS: 2-5
Dylan Dodd, SP: 4 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, BB, 5 K
Box Score
There was an influx of new faces suiting up for Gwinnett on Friday as the Stripers ultimately fell to St. Paul.
After both squads were held scoreless in the first inning, the Stripers crossed the plate first in the top of the second inning. With two outs, Luke Waddell singled and Luis Liberato doubled him to third. An Andrew Velazquez single brought both Waddell and Liberato home to stake the Stripers to a 2-0 lead. Nacho Alvarez Jr. singled Velazquez to third as Drake Baldwin followed that up with a single of his own to score Velazquez and extend the Gwinnett lead to 3-0.
While enjoying the 3-0 lead, Gwinnett starter Dylan Dodd was tagged for three runs as St. Paul tied the game at 3-3. For the next two innings, both squads went back and forth.
In the top of the third inning, the newly-signed Eddie Rosario tripled with one out before Waddell brought him home on a sac fly to make it a 4-3 game in favor of the Stripers. However, in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Saints tied the game, scoring another run off of Dodd.
From that point forward, St. Paul ran away with the game, scoring eight unanswered runs before the Stripers scored once more in the top of the ninth on a solo homer off the bat of Velazquez to make it a 11-5 final as Gwinnett fell on the night.
(36-43) Mississippi Braves 3, (37-41) Biloxi Shuckers 8
KeShawn Ogans, 3B: 2-4, RBI
Bryson Horne, 1B: 2-4
David Fletcher, SP: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Box Score
It was a rollercoaster rider of a game for Mississippi on Friday — albeit a short one.
After Biloxi went down in order to start the game, the Braves quickly jumped out to a three-run lead. But the first inning offense would be the only true offense the Braves would be able to string together on the night.
Cody Milligan and Cal Conley led off the bottom of the first frame with a pair of singles to put a runner in scoring position. Yolbert Sanchez proceeded to lay down a sacrifice bunt and while it worked, Biloxi committed a throwing error, allowing both Milligan and Conley to score while Sanchez advanced all the way to third on the play. In the very next at-bat, KeShawn Ogans singled into right field, scoring Sanchez to extend the Mississippi lead to 3-0 and give the Braves their only RBI on the night.
With David Fletcher on the mound, Biloxi scored one run in the top of the second and later tied the game in the top of the fourth at 3-3. While Fletcher only allowed two earned runs across 6.1 innings, the Shuckers would score five runs across the final two innings.
Outside of their three-run first inning, the Braves offense was stifled as they were held scoreless for the rest of the game as Mississippi was handed the 8-3 loss.
(41-37) Rome Emperors 2, (45-34) Bowling Green Hot Rods 3
Nick Ward, 2B: 1-2, HR, RBI, R
Stephen Paolini, RF: 1-3, 3B, RBI, BB
Blake Burkhalter, SP: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K
Box Score
Rome got a solid start from Blake Burkhalter on the mound — the second consecutive start in which the righty has gone at least five innings — but the offense failed to provide enough run support in the loss.
Across those five innings, Burkhalter scattered five hits while allowing just two runs and striking out six batters. On the season, the 2022 draft pick has started seven games on the mound while tossing a 2.70 ERA between Rome and Augusta.
As Rome went scoreless in the first two innings, Bowling Green scored two runs in the bottom of the second to take a 2-0 lead. In the top of the third, the Emperors finally got on the board as Nick Ward launched a solo home run over the right field wall to make it a 2-1 deficit. Rome tied the game in the next inning. After E.J. Exposito drew a one-out walk, Stephen Paolini tripled him home to tie the game at 2-2.
The game remained tied after five innings, as Elison Joseph relived Burkhalter on the mound in the bottom of the sixth frame. However, the Hot Rods would score the go-ahead run off Joseph in the sixth inning and the Emperors failed to score the rest of the night as Bowling Green took the 3-2 victory.
(33-46) Augusta GreenJackets 2, (44-35) Columbia Fireflies 8
Jacob Godman, C: 1-2, HR, RBI, R, 2 BB
Luis Sanchez, 2B: 2-3, BB
Adam Shoemaker, SP: 4 IP, 2 H, 5 BB, 6 K
Box Score
Despite getting four solid innings from starter Adam Shoemaker, a late collapse by the Augusta bullpen was the ultimate downfall as the GreenJackets lost to Columbia on Friday.
The game was scoreless for the first three innings, but the GreenJackets struck first, scoring in the bottom of the fourth inning as Jacob Godman homered to give Augusta the 1-0 lead. The GreenJackets doubled down, scoring again in the bottom of the fifth inning. Robert Gonzalez drew a leadoff walk and subsequently stole second base and moved up to third on a throwing error. Then, with Isaiah Drake at the dish, Gonzalez would be waved home via a balk to give Augusta a 2-0 lead.
Despite walking five batters, Shoemaker managed to keep Columbia off the scoreboard for his four innings of work. Anthony Garcia took over in the fifth inning and continued the good work, tossing three scoreless frames of his own.
However, Augusta reliever Reibyn Corona would take over in the eighth and allowed six runs as the Fireflies took a 6-2 lead. Columbia then added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth, scoring twice more off Rolando Gutierrez to make it an 8-2 game, which would hold as the final.
(13-31) FCL Braves 4, (28-16) FCL Rays 6
Alen Pineda, 1B: 2-3, HR, RBI, R
Josnaider Orellana, C: 2-3, RBI
Jhonly Taveras, SP: 0.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 BB
Box Score
In what was a true back-and-forth affair, the FCL Braves came away with the short end of the stick, losing to the FCL Rays in a seven inning contest.
In the top of the first inning, John Gil drew a leadoff walk and moved up to second on a wild pitch. While one wild pitch is bad, the Gil took advantage of two more wild pitches to move up to third base and ultimately crossed the plate to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. After Gil scored, John Estevez drew a walk of his own and stole second base before Douglas Glod walked. A singled by Josnaider Orellana brought Estevez across to extend the lead to 2-0.
The Rays would tie the game up in the bottom of the first, scoring two runs off of Braves’ starter Jhonly Taveras who issued five walks in just two-thirds innings of work. The Rays would take the lead in the bottom of the second, scoring one run to make it a 3-2 game.
In the top of the third, the Braves tied things up, plating one run off of Estevez scored on a passed ball to make it a 3-3 game.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Rays scored two runs, giving them a 5-3 lead on the day. The Braves got one of those runs back in the top of the sixth as as Alen Pineda launched his first homer of the year to make it a 5-4 deficit. However, the Rays added an insurance run in the home half to extend their lead to 6-4 which would hold as the final.
(6-14) DSL Braves 2, (18-5) DSL Giants Black 3
Juan Espinal, CF: 1-3, HR, RBI, R, BB
Manuel Dos Passos, C: 1-3, RBI, BB
Sebastian Estiven, SP: 3 IP, 2 BB, 3 K
Box Score
The DSL Braves came up short, falling by one run to the DSL Giants squad by one run on Friday.
The Braves struck first in the second inning, as Juan Espinal launched his second homer of the year over the left center field wall to give the Braves a 1-0 lead.
Meanwhile, starter Sebastian Estiven tossed three hitless innings and struck out three batters in his start. However, the Giants tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, scoring one run off reliever Anferni Gonzalez to knot things up at 1-1.
The Braves retook the lead in the top of the sixth inning as Manuel Dos Passos singled home Carlos Monteverde to make it a 2-1 Braves lead. Things looked good for the Braves until the bottom of the ninth, as the Giants scored two runs in the frame to walk things off and get the 3-2 win.
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