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SL1 Mississippi Braves

De La Cruz, M-Braves Shut Down Barons on Wednesday

August 14, 2019 - Southern League (SL1)
Mississippi Braves News Release


PEARL, MS - The Mississippi Braves (24-27, 57-63) received 5.0 innings of one-hit baseball from Jasseel De La Cruz (W, 4-7) and used four pitchers to shut out the Birmingham Barons (26-23, 53-65) on two hits in a 4-0 win on Wednesday afternoon at Trustmark Park.

On the day when the M-Braves welcomed their 3 millionth fan to Trustmark Park, the home team obliged Matt Baker and his young son Wyatt, from Clinton, MS, with a win to snap the five-game losing skid.

De La Cruz took a no-hitter into the fifth inning on Wednesday afternoon, having just walked one batter through the first 4.0 innings. With two outs in the fifth, Columbia, MS native Ti'Quan Forbes singled to right field breaking up the bid. The No. 14 prospect for the Atlanta Braves finished with 5.0 innings of one-hit baseball, striking out four and walking one on 53 pitches.

Ray-Patrick Didder led off the bottom of the first inning with a single against Barons starter Bernardo Flores (L, 3-6). After Flores retired the next two batters, Ryan Casteel doubled home Didder to give the M-Braves a 1-0 lead for De La Cruz.

William Contreras made it 2-0 on his third home run at the Double-A level in the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs. Contreras is batting .364 to begin the month of August.

The Braves extended their lead in the seventh inning to 4-0 without the benefit of a base hit. Former M-Brave Mauricio Cabrera walked Jonathan Morales and Alejandro Salazar to begin the inning, and after a pair of wild pitches and sacrifice fly by Riley Unroe, both scored to increase the lead. The M-Braves had the bases loaded with nobody out in the previous frame, but failed to score.

Trey Harris was 2-for-4 and extended his on-base streak to 13 games. The 23-year-old out of Mizzou is batting .360 since the streak began on July 29. Morales added his second multi-hit game in his last three games, finishing 2-for-3 with a walk and run scored.

Behind De La Cruz, Kurt Hoekstra secured his third hold on 2.0 innings of no-hit baseball, walking three and striking out two. Bradley Roney and Thomas Burrows pitched an inning each to finish off Mississippi's 13th shutout of the season.

Game three of the five-game series and 11-game homestand is on Thursday night at Trustmark Park. LHP Phil Pfeifer (1-2, 4.00) makes his third M-Braves start and will face off against LHP John Parke (3-3, 2.78) for Birmingham. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 pm CT with coverage beginning at 5:20 pm on 103.9 WYAB, TuneIn Radio, First Pitch App, and MiLB.tv (subscription required).

Wednesday's Promotions:

Clunker Car Night - Need a new ride? The Mississippi Braves have partnered with local dealerships to give away used cars between innings! Included will be a 15-passenger limousine!

Thirsty Thursday - 16 oz. Domestic beer and 16 oz. Fountain drinks will be $2 each.

M-Braves Cornhole Tournaments - Join us on Thursdays this season for M-Braves Cornhole Tournaments presented by Central MS Corn-Hole & Good Times! Every Thirsty Thursday at Trustmark Park (13 of them) we'll have competitive tournaments outside the Farm Bureau Grill on the right-field concourse starting at 6:00 pm. Great cash & prizes to winners! $5 entry per player.

The Mississippi Braves are the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Since the inaugural 2005 season, 146 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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