SL1 Mississippi Braves

M-Braves Claim Series on Pache's Leadoff Homer

Published on June 24, 2019 under Southern League (SL1)
Mississippi Braves News Release


BILOXI, MS - Cristian Pache hit the third pitch of Monday night's game over the left field wall for a leadoff home run, and that was enough for Tucker Davidson and the Mississippi Braves (36-38, 3-2) in a 1-0 win over the Biloxi Shuckers (43-32, 2-3) to clinch the series, 3-2. Davidson, Connor Johnstone, and Claudio Custodio combined for the five-hit shutout.

Pache's 10th home run off of Biloxi starter Bowden Francis (L, 4-5) was Mississippi's second leadoff homer this season, with the other coming from Drew Waters on April 27 at Mobile. Waters got the night off on Monday, so his league-leading 29-game on-base streak and 17-game hitting streak remains intact.

Davidson (W, 3-4) continued his dominance on the mound on Monday and shut out the Shuckers on just three hits over 6.0 innings. It wasn't without some drama. Davidson let the first two batters reach to begin the bottom of the first inning, but struck out the next two and got help from his catcher William Contreras with a caught stealing to get out of the first inning unscathed.

Davidson went on to retire 10 of 11 and struck out the side in the third inning. In total, Davidson struck out six and walked three, lowering his league-leading ERA to 1.48 after 14 starts. Davidson hasn't allowed an earned run over his last three starts and 13.2 innings pitched.

Johnstone picked things up in the seventh inning and struck out three and walked one over 2.0 shutout innings in his first outing back from Triple-A Gwinnett. Johnstone was credited with his third hold in the process. Custodio took over for the M-Braves in the ninth inning and the 28-year-old retired the side in order, to earn his first save as a member of the Atlanta Braves organization, and seventh of his career.

The shutout was the Braves' eighth this season and third by the final score of 1-0. The win improves Mississippi to 2-1 in rubber matches of a five-game series and 4-3-1 in road sets this season.

The M-Braves offense pounded out 11 hits on Monday night but stranded 11 runners on base. Riley Unroe finished 3-for-5, and Ray-Patrick Didder was 2-for-4 with a double.

The M-Braves will go home to begin the first home series of the second half on Tuesday night against the Jackson (TN) Generals at Trustmark Park. LHP Joey Wentz (3-6, 5.51) is scheduled to start for the M-Braves against RHP Matt Peacock (3-2, 2.01) for the Jackson. 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).

Tuesday's Promotions:

Tupelo Tuesday - "Ain't Nothin But a 2-for-1 Dog" courtesy of Polk's Meat Products: 16 oz fountain sodas are also 2-for-1. Every Tuesday, fans can exchange their Polk's Meat product label at the Trustmark Park Box office for 2-for-1 tickets.

Bark In The Park - All Tuesday evening games are "Bark in the Park" at Trustmark Park because four legs are better than two! Thanks to Camp Bow Wow, bring your pup for free and enjoy the game from anywhere in the ballpark.

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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Southern League Stories from June 24, 2019


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.

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