By Lonnie Turner
After the first week of Minor League play, the Burger King Braves are the only team with an unblemished record, scoring an 8-4 win over the McLeod Health Marlins on Tuesday and an 8-1 victory over the Pepsi-Cola Blue Jays Friday evening.
In the Majors, the Dillon Internal Medicine Hurricanes, led by Cooper Lane, are tied for first place with the Dillon Meat Market Reds with 2-0 records. During the first two games of the season, Lane has driven in nine runs with two three run homers and a bases loaded double. He had six RBI in Friday’s 8-4 win over the Feed and Farm Store Rangers, while Josh Brown held the Rangers to four hits in five innings pitched. He walked only four to get the win.
In addition to Lane’s second homer of the season and a double, Brandon Bethea singled in three trips to the plate and getting one hit each were Ty Huggins, Que Singleton, and Reggie Graves.
For the Rangers, Kris Hunt had two hits off Brown, both singles, and also getting a single each were Jordan Mew and Aaron Clewis.
In Friday’s first Major League game, the Reds belted out six hits in the first two innings to jump out to an early 6-0 lead and added another in the third on back to back singles from Andrew Chestnut and Austin Coward. The Giants put together a triple by Noah Carter and RBI singles by Caleb Oakley and Caleb Boykin to get on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning. Knox Jackson and Coward led the Reds at the plate with two singles each. Also getting a safe base hit for the Reds were Chandler Pittman, Gage Hunt, Nathan Hyler, and Justice Ladson. Oakley also picked up the fourth hit for the Giants when he beat out a low roller in the first inning and he suffered the pitching loss.
Monday, April 13
Minor League
Ace Hardware Tigers 8, McLeod Health Marlins 6
The Tigers scored four runs in the first inning of Monday’s first of two games and three more in the third to beat the Marlins, 8-6. The Marlins battled back with five runs in the top of the fourth, but the rally fell short as the Tigers put another score on the board in the bottom of the inning. Jacob English led the Tigers with two hits in two trips including an RBI triple, while Colby Furniss, Mason Miller, Zach Hunt, Temmarian Davis, and Landon Moody added hits for the winners. McLeod picked up four hits, a triple by Brendon Miles, and singles by Ron Bracey, Jessie Altman, and Hayden Lane.
Major League
Dillon Family Dental Giants 6, Physicians Healthcare Yankees 3
The Giants pounded out seven hits, including a triple by Noah Carter, a 2-run single by Zy Charles, and an RBI single off the bat of Caleb Boykin in the third inning to score five runs as the Giants edged a 6-3 win over the Yankees in the first Major League game of the season. The Yankees battled back in the bottom of the sixth inning on the strength of a two-run homer by BoBo McKinnon over the right field fence. The Yankees scored a lone run in the third when McKenzie Tanner led off the inning, stole second, and scored on a passed ball. The Giants had two triples by Carter, who also picked up the pitching win. In addition to the hits by Charles and Boykin, Landarian Johnson tripled and Cadillac Hunt singled. The homer by McKinnon was the only hit off Carter, who struck out fifteen.
In a losing cause, McKinnon whiffed 11 and reliever Dylan Windham struck out the only three batters he faced in the final at bat for the Giants.
Minor League
Tuesday, April 14
Ace Hardware Tigers 4, Pepsi-Cola Blue Jays 1
The Tigers scored three runs in the bottom of the second inning to grab a 3-0 lead over the Blue Jays without the benefit of a base hit. Five walks led to all the runs. The Jays bounced back to score their lone run on a walk and fielding error in the third and back came the Tigers with another run in the third. Both teams managed only one hit each. For the winners, Zack Hunt had an RBI single and Holden Matthews singled for the Jays.
Burger King Braves 8, McLeod Health Marlins 4
Burger King scored six runs in the first three innings and two more in the fifth to take a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth, but the Marlins battled back to score two in the bottom of the sixth to get a respectable finish.
The Braves came out swinging and four players had two hits each, including doubles by Hayden Perritt, a single and double by Brody Cook, and an inside the park homer and single by Bryce Patterson. Ahmad German walked, hit a two-run double, and singled in the win. Nate Ford also had a base hit for the Braves. The Marlins had hits from Brendon Miles (Double, RBI); Leo Garcia (Double, RBI); and Heyden Lane (Double).
Thursday, April 16
Major League
Internal Medicine Hurricanes 7, Physicians Healthcare Yankees 6
In Thursday evening’s two Major League games, the Hurricanes and Yankees hooked up in the first that went seven innings and two hours, before Reggie Graves belted a two-out double to the center field fence to send Brandon Bethea home with the winning run. The Canes led most of the way until the Yankees tied that game in the top of the sixth inning with an unearned run. D-Mack Wilson and Ahmari Huggins led the Yankees with two hits each. Cooper Lane hit a three-run homer and Charlie Nash had three hits in four trips to the plate to lead both teams at the plate. Josh Brown singled twice and Que Singleton hit an RBI single.
Dillon Meat Center Reds 9, Feed & Farm Store Rangers 8
The Reds and Rangers battled until 10:45 before the Reds scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth and hung on to win when the Rangers left the tying run at third base in the sixth inning. Gage Hunt doubled twice and hit a triple, and Nathan Hyler doubled and singled twice to lead the Reds at the plate. Justin Ladson also added two singles. Trent Johnson doubled and tripled in three trips to the plate and drove in two runs for the Rangers. Jacob Kale also added a triple and single and was hit by a pitch in three times at bat. R.J. Brogdon and Jordan Mew also had safe hits. Knox Jackson singled for the Reds and Andrew Chestnut had a hit. Chandler Pittman picked up the win and Johnson lost a heart-breaker for the Rangers.
