Knights Strike First in Series, Beat G-Braves 5-3 Wednesday
April 15, 2015 - International League (IL1)
Charlotte Knights News Release
(Lawrenceville, GA) -- Jarrett Casey started the day as a member of the Double-A Birmingham Barons. He finished it with a win for the Charlotte Knights over the Gwinnett Braves.
Casey (1-0, 0.00) tossed two scoreless innings out of the bullpen and the Charlotte offense scored four runs over the final three innings en-route to a 5-3 win over the Gwinnett Braves on Wednesday in the opening game of a two-game series from Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, GA.
Just two days after being assigned to Birmingham, Casey was promoted back to the Knights on Wednesday after the team placed two of its pitchers -- Brad Penny and Matt Lindstrom -- on the disabled list just before game time. Outfielder Matt Tuiasosopo was also placed on the DL retroactive to April 14.
Casey came on in the sixth inning in relief of Charlotte right-hander Chris Beck, who got the start for the Knights in their first road game of the season. Beck allowed just one run on six hits over five innings, but left with the game tied at 1-1.
Gwinnett jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning off Beck after Cedric Hunter's RBI single. The lead didn't last long.
In the top of the second inning, hot-hitting Trayce Thompson ignited the offense with a single to begin the inning. Thompson extended his hit streak to seven consecutive games with the base hit. Three batters later, Leury Garcia doubled home Thompson to tie the game at 1-1. Casey then held the G-Braves scoreless for two innings - and the Charlotte offense did the rest.
The game stayed knotted at 1-1 until the top of the seventh inning when the Knights mounted a rally. Garcia started the rally off with a one-out single against Gwinnett reliever Michael Kohn (0-1, 6.75). Garcia quickly put himself into scoring position by stealing second base. The Knights then added two runs on back-to-back RBI singles from Tyler Saladino and Carlos Sanchez. Both Saladino and Sanchez finished the game with two RBIs apiece.
With the Knights ahead by a score of 3-1, Charlotte manager Joel Skinner handed the ball to closer Jairo Asencio to work the final two innings. The 31-year-old right-hander allowed a run in the eighth and again in the ninth, but held on to notch his team-high third save of the season. Charlotte's two-run top of the ninth inning proved to be important in the club's fourth win of the season.
The two teams will conclude their series on Thursday starting at 6:35 p.m. from Coolray Field. Charlotte hurler Carlos Rodon - the number one prospect in Chicago's system as ranked by Baseball America - will make his second start of the season. Rodon (1-0, 1.80) and the Knights will face Gwinnett RHP Williams Perez (0-0, 2.25).
Pre-game radio coverage starts at 6:20 p.m. on the team's flagship station, ESPN 730 AM. The "Voice of the Knights" Matt Swierad will have the call for all of the action. The Knights return home to BB&T Ballpark on Friday to open a three-game weekend series against Gwinnett. Friday's game features post-game fireworks courtesy of BB&T and 107.9 The Link.
International League Stories from April 15, 2015
- Bulls Blanked in Home-Opener against Tides - Durham Bulls
- Knights Strike First in Series, Beat G-Braves 5-3 Wednesday - Charlotte Knights
- Banuelos Fans 7 in G-Braves' 5-3 Loss to Charlotte - Gwinnett Stripers
- Indians Nipped 2-1 in Series Opener - Indianapolis Indians
- Buffalo Shuts out PawSox Twice to Sweep DH & Win Series - Pawtucket Red Sox
- LeSean McCoy Foundation Announces Celebrity Softball Game at Frontier Field - Rochester Red Wings
- Bats Pick up First Road Win, 2-1 - Louisville Bats
- Late-Inning Rally Dooms RailRiders - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
- Durham Bulls Game Notes - Durham Bulls
- Lehigh Valley Takes Series Finale - Syracuse Mets
- Bisons Notes (DH) - Pawtucket at Buffalo (Game 1: 1:05 p.m.) - Buffalo Bisons
- SWB Game Notes - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
- Chiefs Announce Opening-Day Parking Procedures - Syracuse Mets
- LHV Game Notes - Lehigh Valley IronPigs
- Bats Split Double-Header with Columbus, 1-0, 1-0 - Louisville Bats
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
