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SL1 Mississippi Braves

Casteel Goes Deep Twice in Sunday's Win

June 23, 2019 - Southern League (SL1)
Mississippi Braves News Release


BILOXI, MS - Ryan Casteel blasted two home runs on a sweltering Sunday afternoon on the Mississippi Gulf Coast as the Mississippi Braves (35-38, 2-2) beat the Biloxi Shuckers (43-31, 2-2) at MGM Park, 5-3, to even the series at 2-2. Drew Waters finished 2-for-4 and extended the league's longest on-base and hitting streak to 29 and 17 respectively.

Kyle Muller (W, 5-4) had lost three straight starts to begin June, but the big left-hander reversed the trend on Sunday. The M-Braves aided the 21-year-old's cause by handing him a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Waters wasted no time in extending his league-leading on-base streak to 29 games and hitting streak to 17 games with a one-out double down the right-field line in the first inning; Tyler Neslony grounded out moving Waters to third base before Casteel hit the first of two home runs to give the M-Braves a 2-0 lead.

Muller helped his cause in the third inning and extended the lead to 3-0 on a two-out single to center scoring William Contreras. The former Gatorade National Player of the Year at Dallas Jesuit High School is 3-for-11 on the season at the plate, recording his first professional RBI on Sunday,

Biloxi responded in the bottom of the second inning, and with two outs, Alexander Alvarez singled home Dillon Thomas to trim Mississippi's lead to 3-1.

Muller worked through some long innings on the mound and pitched with runners on base in every inning. Muller got Weston Wilson to hit into a 4-3 double play to end the fifth inning and finish his outing at 86 pitches. Over 5.0 innings, Muller gave up just one run on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts. The No. 10 overall prospect for the Braves ends the day second in the Southern League with 90 strikeouts, trailing only teammate Ian Anderson, who has 96.

Casteel was back at it again in the top of the sixth inning. Neslony delivered a one-out single, extending his hitting streak to seven games and then the Chattanooga native sent a Trey Supak (L, 8-3) pitch 433 feet over the left field wall for his 10th home run of the season. Casteel's 2-for-3 performance with two homers and four RBI was the fourth multi-homer game of his career and first since 2017. He's also the first M-Brave to reach double-digit home runs. Casteel ranks among the top 10 in the Southern League in six different offensive categories, including fifth with a .874 OPS.

Muller turned the ball over to Thomas Burrows in the seventh inning, and the Alabama native recorded 2.0 shutout innings on one hit with no walks and three strikeouts. Burrows hasn't allowed a run over his last six outings and 8.1 innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. Bradley Roney made his first M-Braves appearance since July 11, 2017, during the eighth inning. The Southern Miss product surrendered a two-run double to Dillon Thomas but struck out two in the inning. Roney missed almost two years with right shoulder impingement syndrome.

Jeremy Walker (S, 5) has turned into the Braves' closer and the 23-year-old finished off the 5-3 victory with a scoreless ninth inning and two strikeouts. Walker did walk a batter, just his fourth in 55.2 innings this season.

Waters finished the afternoon 2-for-4 at the plate, his 28th multi-hit game of the season. He leads all of Double-A baseball and is third in Minor League Baseball with 98 hits. That's 17 more than the second-most in the Southern League this season. He also leads the league with a .334 batting average, 25 doubles, 38 extra-base hits, and 45 runs scored. Cristian Pache was 0-for-4, ending his 11-game hitting streak and 15-game on-base streak.

The M-Braves and Shuckers meet for the rubber match of the five-game series on Monday night at MGM Park. The Southern League's ERA leader LHP Tucker Davidson (2-4, 1.61) starts for the M-Braves against reigning Southern League Pitcher of the Week RHP Bowden Francis (4-4, 4.58) going for the Shuckers. First pitch is set for 6:35 pm with coverage beginning at 6:20 pm on 103.9 WYAB, TuneIn Radio and MiLB.tv (subscription required).

The Mississippi Braves are the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Since the inaugural 2005 season, 139 M-Braves have gone on to Major League Baseball. The M-Braves have made postseason play four times and went on to win the Southern League Championship in 2008. Stop by Trustmark Park or call 888-BRAVES4 Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. For the latest news and updates, visit mississippibraves.com or connect with @mbraves on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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