Charlotte Knights 8, Round Rock Express 0 (Statcast box)
The Charlotte Knights flexed their offensive muscles, launching five dingers en route to a dominant victory over the Round Rock Express, bringing their record back to .500 at 24-24.

The home run brigade started early for the Knights, as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on solo blasts from newly demoted Brooks Baldwin, Kyle Teel, and Korey Lee. The strong performances from catchers Teel and Lee, coupled with the success of Matt Thaiss and Edgar Quero at the big league level, highlight a somewhat problematic backlog at backstop. It sure would be nice if our GM could work some deals to get players who produce at other positions.

Charlotte continued to pile on the runs in the third, breaking the game open with another three-spot. A Dominic Fletcher triple drove in Teel, who had singled, and that set the stage for a two-run blast from Bryan Ramos, a much-needed big hit for the struggling infielder.

The long ball parade wasn’t over. In the fourth, Corey Julks doubled, and Teel then launched his second no-doubter of the night, extending the Knights’ lead to a commanding 8-0.

On the mound, newly acquired righthander Evan McKendry, obtained by Chicago from the Milwaukee Brewers on May 5, pitched well in his outing. The former 2019 ninth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays, a career minor league arm, went four strong innings, allowing just one hit and three walks while striking out two. The Knights’ bullpen then took over, surrendering only three more hits over the final five frames to secure the shutout victory.

Birmingham Barons 4, Pensacola Blue Wahoos 2
The Barons (22-18) tightened their grip on first place in the SOU North division tonight, defeating the Blue Wahoos behind a strong outing from starter Shane Murphy and timely hitting. Murphy, the 24-year-old lefty promoted to Birmingham on April 27 from Winston-Salem, continued his impressive run with the Barons. He picked up his third win, improving his record to 3-1 with a sparkling 1.80 ERA in eight appearances. Murphy tossed six innings of four-hit, one-run ball, yielding only a solo home run in the fifth. The 2022 14th-round pick out of Chandler-Gilbert Community College earned a quality start for his efforts.

The Barons’ offense got on the board early, manufacturing a run in the first inning. Rikuu Nishida led off with a single, stole second (his 15th of the season), advanced to third on a William Bergolla ground out, and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Wilfred Veras.

Birmingham extended their lead in the second with two more runs. With two outs, Caden Connor reached on a throwing error. Mario Camilletti then ripped a triple, scoring Connor. Nishida followed with his second single of the night, driving in Camilletti. Nishida wasn’t done, as he drove in his second run of the game with another single in the fourth, extending the Barons’ lead.

Zach Franklin and Peyton Pallette held the Wahoos scoreless over a combined 2 1⁄3 frames, and Jared Kelly allowed one unearned run in 2⁄3 of an inning. Franklin and Kelly each earned a hold while Pallette got his seventh save.

Hudson Valley Renegades 13, Winston-Salem Dash 2
The Winston-Salem Dash are by far the worst of the affiliates and sit in last place in the South Atlantic League South Division with a 14-28 record.

Dash starting pitcher Lucas Gordon, a 23-year-old lefty and the Chicago White Sox’s 2023 sixth-round pick (No. 179 overall), saw his impressive early-season statistics take a hit. Coming into the game with a 2.72 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 10.21 K/9, Gordon had been a victim of poor run support, but tonight, the Renegades’ bats were unforgiving.

Gordon largely held the Renegades in check until the top of the fifth inning when Roc Riggio (what a baseball name!) launched a two-run homer, giving Hudson Valley a 2-1 lead. The Renegades plated two more runs off of Gordon in the sixth, extending their lead to 4-2, and ultimately chasing him from the game.

The wheels truly came off for the Dash in the seventh inning. Reliever Joseph Yabbour faced a barrage, surrendering five runs while only managing 2⁄3 of an inning, pushing the Renegades’ advantage to 9-2. Hudson Valley wasn’t done, adding three more runs in the eighth and another in the ninth for good measure.

Winston-Salem’s offense showed glimmers of hope early on. In the bottom of the first, Cole McConnell drew a walk, and after Jeral Perez struck out, Braden Montgomery and Arxy Hernández strung together back-to-back singles to bring McConnell home, giving the Dash a brief 1-0 lead. The Dash managed to tie the game at 2-2 in the fifth inning on consecutive doubles by Perez and Montgomery, but their offensive production completely dried up after that.

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 4, Columbia Fireflies 0
The Ballers’ (23-19) victory over the Columbia Fireflies tonight propelled them into a tie for first place in the Carolina League South division. The MVP was undoubtedly Grant Umberger. The 23-year-old lefty, an undrafted free agent from 2024, delivered a brilliant performance in his third start of the season. Umberger tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out 11 batters, earning himself a well-deserved quality start.

The Ballers’ offense wasted no time getting on the board, scoring in the first inning — a feat that marked Kannapolis as the fourth affiliate to tally a run in the opening frame. Back-to-back doubles from Caleb Bonemer and Calvin Harris plated the first run. A walk to George Wolkow and a subsequent wild pitch brought in the second run, giving Kanny an early 2-0 advantage.

The Cannon Ballers added insurance runs in the later innings. Ronny Hernandez singled home a run in the seventh, and Wilber Sánchez followed suit with an RBI single in the eighth, extending Kannapolis’ lead to 4-0. The arm barn of Jonathan Clark, Carlton Perkins, and Morris Austin held the Fireflies scoreless and hitless in the final three frames, preserving Umberger’s impressive performance.

As a strange side note, in the bottom of the second inning, Ballers manager Chad Pinder got ejected. Seemed to be some chaos on the field with regards to the umpiring crew losing track of pitch counts.

ACL Royals 3, ACL White Sox 2
The Sox (6-7) struck first in the bottom of the second on a solo jack by Adrian Gil (4). The Royals quickly answered in the top of the third on a walk, stolen base, and single off of starter Matthias LaCombe. That would be the only run allowed over three innings by the righty as he gave up just two hits, one walk, and struck out six.

Connor Housley came out in relief of LaCombe and tossed two frames. He surrendered one run on three hits while walking none and striking out three. The Royals’ third run was unearned off Gray Thomas and came courtesy of a hit-by-pitch, a stolen base, and a throwing error by shortstop Jurdrick Profar.

The Sox manufactured their second and final tally in the bottom of the seventh on two walks, a wild pitch, and a ground out.