Charlotte Knights 9, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 4
Both teams posted eight hits, but the Knights (9-11) were more efficient (3-for-10 with runners in scoring position) to defeat the Jumbo Shrimp (11-10) in the series finale, 9-4. The Charlotte bats were hot to start the game, putting up four runs quickly in the top of the first, which was a helpful cushion behind opener Adisyn Coffey as he gave up three runs in his two innings of work. Coffey has struggled so far to begin the season, with a 9.00 ERA across his eight innings, but his WHIP is inflated at 2.00 and he’s lacking control with an 18.2% walk rate.
There were three Knights with multi-hit days — Jarred Kelenic, Oliver Dunn and Drew Romo — but Jacob Gonzalez drove in four of the nine Charlotte runs, and his 12 RBIs are leading the team so far in 2026. The Knights batted around in the first inning, including RBI doubles from Kelenic and Michael Turner. Romo’s two-run bomb in the top of the third was additional run support for the pitching staff, and Gonzalez mashed one of his own in the seventh to add on a couple more for good measure:
After Coffey, the Charlotte bullpen was excellent for their seven innings, allowing just four hits, one run, two walks and racking up six strikeouts. Lefthander Tyler Schweitzer earned the win after 2 2/3 strong frames, walking one and striking out three — his first win of the season.
Birmingham Barons 8, Rocket City Trash Pandas 4 — Opener (7 innings)
The Barons (6-8) ran away with the opener in Sunday’s doubleheader against the Trash Pandas (6-8), outhitting Rocket City 10-6 behind a solid performance from the Birmingham bullpen. The Good Guys took an early two-run lead in the first inning at the hands of a Alec Makarewicz homer, though lefthander Christian Oppor struggled with his command in his three-inning start and the Trash Pandas were able to tie it up at two in the second.
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Oppor ended up allowing three runs on three hits, though he struck out just one and walked four batters, with two of those walks coming around to score. Birmingham’s bats were able to handle it though and took a 4-3 lead back in the top of the third after a Braden Montgomery triple and Wilfred Veras sac fly. Montgomery ended up on base every at-bat, going 2-for-2 with a double, triple and pair of walks. Makarewicz drove in one more in the fifth, and back-to-back jacks in the sixth from Adam Fogel (his third hit of the day) and Samuel Zavala made it 8-4. The Barons bullpen held the lead with minimal damage.
Jake Bockenstedt ended up with his first win of the season with a spotless, 10-pitch inning in the fourth after relieving Oppor. Jackson Kelly gave up the last run to the Trash Pandas in the sixth, but still earned the hold, setting up Jacob Heatherly nicely to wrap up the seventh and start the doubleheader on a high note.
Rocket City Trash Pandas 4, Birmingham Barons 2 — Nightcap (7 innings)
Game two was much quieter on the offensive front, with both teams combining for just seven hits. The Barons (6-9) had four, but the Trash Pandas (7-8) were able to pull through with the 4-2 win and split the series at three games apiece. Jake Palisch made his third start of the season and was solid through four, though the lefty struggled a bit in the fifth and got into a jam before leaving the game. Two had already scored with Jake on the mound, and Chase Watkins gave up a homer on the first batter he saw to add two more, and Palisch would be charged with the loss.
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Doubling in both games today, Braden Montgomery continues to mash the ball, and he’s now up to a 1.211 OPS in 53 at-bats this season. One would imagine that he would get the bump to Triple-A soon. Jacob Burke accounted for two of the four Birmingham hits, but the two lone runs for the Barons were from a two-run shot by Samuel Zavala in the top of the fifth. However, Birmingham didn’t score in the last two innings.
Winston-Salem Dash 8, Asheville Tourists 5
The Dash (10-5) were chasing the Tourists (4-11) for most of the game until they put up a five-spot in the seventh to take the lead, and the pitching staff held on for Winston-Salem to take their fifth of six in the series. Righthander Gabe Davis made his third start of the season for the Dash, and his three runs (two earned) were the first he’s given up all year (over nine innings).
The bullpen was also on point, with four pitchers combining for six hits, two runs, three walks and seven strikeouts. Six of those Ks came from Jake Curtis, who played the long reliever role today by throwing 3 1/3 exceptional innings and earning the win; his 1.50 ERA and 0.67 WHIP in 12 innings have been elite for Winston-Salem.
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For two games in a row, Colby Shelton and Anthony DePino exploded for five more RBIs, with a two-run double from Shelton in the seventh, and a two-run bomb from DePino to break the game open. George Wolkow and Kaleb Freeman each also ripped a double, and Kyle Lodise recorded the other extra-base hit with an RBI triple in the second. The offense overall had nine hits — the same as Asheville — and went 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position (.231) and left 10 on base as a team.
Myrtle Beach Pelicans 7, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 3
The Cannon Ballers (4-11) struggled across the board Sunday; the defense made three errors, the offense only mustered three hits, and the pitching staff allowed seven runs while walking eight batters in another loss to the Pelicans (9-6). Riley Elkhoff made his third start of the season, and while two of the six runs from Myrtle Beach were unearned, he still allowed four, gave up a home run, walked four and struck out two while being tagged with his third loss.
The bullpen was otherwise solid, but there wasn’t enough hitting to counteract the early five-run deficit. Scoring all three of their runs in the fifth, the Ballers were otherwise dormant at the plate and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Their first run scored on a wild pitch, and Bryce Eblin accounted for the two RBIs Sunday from a double out to center to make it 6-3. Unfortunately, the Pelicans added one more the next frame to make it 7-3. However, the scoring ended there for Kanny, as it dropped four of six in the series.