Smokies at Shuckers Series Recap
June 23, 2025 - Southern League (SL)
Knoxville Smokies News Release
Knoxville Smokies exchange high fives following a win
(Knoxville Smokies, Credit: Lindsay Coward)
The Knoxville Smokies finished off their road trip and the first half of their season in Biloxi against the Shuckers this week. Both teams supplied a lot of offense. While the Smokies lost some heartbreakers to the Shuckers, Knoxville showed real grit against the best team in the Southern League.
Game 1: Shuckers Top the Smokies in 9-8 Slugfest
Tuesday's series opener was a crazy back-and-forth contest. Both teams traded blows all game with runs in just about every inning, combining for 17 runs and 26 hits.
Biloxi was the first to score, plating two runs in the first thanks to a balk by Chris Kachmar and an RBI single by Luis Lara. The Shuckers added on with RBIs by Mike Boeve and Brock Wilken in the second and the third. Knoxville responded with a run of their own in the second thanks to Jaylen Palmer RBI double, and two more RBIs in the third by BJ Murray Jr. and Felix Stevens.
The game was tied 4-4 after the fifth inning thanks to Pablo Aliendo's home run, but Biloxi was able to pull away after scoring three in the bottom of the sixth. Knoxville responded with one in the seventh and a couple of RBI hits by Pedro Ramirez and Aliendo to take the lead for the first time in the game.
In the bottom of the eighth, Biloxi responded with two runs of their own to take the lead back. Knoxville was unable to respond in the ninth and lost by a final of 9-8.
Game 2: Shuckers Take Control
Game 2 looked different from Tuesday's shootout. Although the Smokies were able to score the first run with Corey Joyce's RBI single, the Shuckers were the ones in control for the entire game.
In the second, Biloxi loaded the bases with one out. After a wild pitch by Sam Armstrong tied the game, Bladimir Restituyo launched a three-run home run to left, giving Biloxi a three run lead.
Biloxi added another run on back-to-back hits by Wilken and Lara in the third. Murray Jr. tried to revive the Smokies' offense with a solo shot in the fourth, but the Smokies stalled out from there. The Shuckers sealed the scoring with one run in the seventh when Cooper Pratt grounded into a double play with runners on first and third and no outs.
Biloxi won Game 2 by a final of 6-2 and took a 2-0 lead into Thursday's matchup.
Game 3: Smokies Stunned by Shuckers Walk-Off
On Thursday, the Smokies once again got out to an early lead. After both teams were quiet in the first two innings, the Smokies scored two in the third on an RBI single by Joyce and an error by Shuckers' third baseman, Luke Adams.
The Shuckers responded in the fourth with three runs of their own to take the lead. Nick Dean let the first five batters of the inning reach base safely, including Ethan Murray's two-RBI single. With the bases loaded and no outs, Restituyo was able to get a fly ball to left to drive in the third run. Dean was able to work out of it from there with a strikeout and a groundout.
The Smokies took the lead back again in the fifth on a two-RBI double by Aliendo to make it 4-3.
The Smokies bullpen seemed to be secure with the lead until the eighth. Antonio Santos came in for Zac Leigh and hit the first batter of the inning. Santos then walked the next two batters to load the bases. The Smokies were able to get one out at the plate on an unconventional fielder's choice. Boeve lined a ball right at Stevens in right. Stevens picked up the sinking line drive on one hop and threw a strike to the plate to cut down the runner from third after the tough read. Murray was able to drive in one run on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at four anyway.
After the Smokies went down quickly in the top of the ninth, Santos went back out to try to force extra innings. Unfortunately, Santos again hit a batter with one out. Zavier Warren hit an infield single to move the winning run into scoring position. Lara then grounded one sharply up the middle. Jheremy Vargas, the runner from second, tried to win the game, but Bateman was able to throw him out at the plate to give the Smokies another life. With two outs, Boeve was able to dump a single in front of the left fielder, Chavers, and walk it off for the Shuckers, winning by a final of 5-4.
Game 4: Knoxville Explodes In Extras
Game 4 was another nail biter. Jaxon Wiggins, fresh off his combined no-hitter in Columbus, took the mound, allowing just two runs over four innings. Those two runs came as Wiggins tried to work out of a bases loaded jam in which he allowed just a two-run single by Jheremy Vargas. The single trimmed Knoxville's once four-run lead down to two.
Pedro Ramirez supplied most of the offense early for Knoxville, clubbing a three-run home run in the third and adding an RBI single in the fourth.
Biloxi cut the lead again in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Pratt, and took the lead in the seventh thanks to a pair of RBI hits by Ethan Murray and Pratt off of Robert Kwiatkowski.
Murray Jr. saved the day for the Smokies when he drove in the tying run on a single to center. Mitchell Tyranski and Cayne Ueckert tossed a scoreles frame in the bottom of the inning, and the Smokies sent it to extras.
The Smokies saved their scoring for two outs, driving in the free runner on a sacrifice fly by Jordan Nwogu, and loading the bases for Murray Jr. who launched his second grand slam this month to left center, giving the Smokies a five-run lead going into the bottom of the tenth.
Ueckert held on for the win, allowing just the free runner to score, giving Knoxville the 10-6 win over the Shuckers.
Game 5: Pitchers Duel
Game 5 was a much more tame game. Grant Kipp and Brett Wichrowski went at it on the mound. Both were effective, each only allowing two runs in the third inning. Kipp went six innings and Wichrowski went five. The Smokies scored their runs on Ramirez's two-RBI double through the right side. Pratt followed suit in the bottom half of the inning, lining his own two-RBI double to left to tie the game.
Knoxville was able to score two more runs in the fifth to give themselves the lead back, in part thanks to sloppy defense on the Shuckers' part. After Nwogu got caught stealing for the second out of the inning, Bateman singled and Ramirez walked. Murray Jr. then grounded the ball to Boeve at first base. Wichrowski went to cover but couldn't make the catch to record the out, keeping the inning alive for the Smokies. Stevens then immediately lined a single to right to drive in two.
Tyler Santana came on for Kipp to start the seventh. Santana was dealing through the seventh and the eighth scattering two hits over the two innings and not allowing a run. Santana was sent back out for the ninth to get the nine out save, but after a six-pitch at bat with Warren, he lined a leadoff triple to right. Santana got the next two Shuckers out on a sacrifice fly by Matthew Wood to make it 4-3 in favor of Knoxville, and a strikeout. Vargas singled with two outs to give Biloxi life, but it would not be enough for the comeback after Restituyo grounded into a fielder's choice to Reivaj Garcia at shortstop to end the game. The Smokies won by a final of 4-3.
Game 6: First Half Finale
The offense seemed to sputter out for both teams by the end of the series. Chris Kachmar allowed just three runs in five innings. Two of those runs came in the second when the Shuckers got off to an early lead thanks to an RBI double by Spain and a sacrifice fly by Vargas. The last run for Biloxi came in the fourth on Ethan Murray's fifth home run of the season, a solo shot to left field.
Tate Kuehner was on the mound for the Shuckers. He only threw three innings but didn't allow a run and struck out five. The Shuckers' bullpen behind Kuehner was fantastic as well, only allowing four baserunners after Kuehner came out of the game.
The Smokies finally got on the board in the eighth after a sacrifice fly by Aliendo and an RBI groundout by Stevens.
The Smokies had a few other opportunities to score, especially against Kuehner, but were unable to capitalize, going 0-10 with runners in scoring position and leaving eight runners on base. The Smokies even had a chance to tie it in the ninth after Garcia doubled to left with one out. Still, the offense was spent and unable to drive in a few more runs in the series finale.
Wrap Up
With the conclusion of this series also came the conclusion of the first half. The Smokies finished with a record of 32-36, seven games behind Chattanooga, who stole first place from Birmingham late. Still, Knoxville showed stretches of impressive baseball and will look to make a postseason run with a strong second half. Find highlights from the series in Biloxi @SmokiesBaseball on Instagram.
The Smokies will be back home this week to host the Birmingham Barons. Be on the lookout for the series preview on Tuesday.
Images from this story
 Knoxville Smokies exchange high fives following a win (Lindsay Coward) |
Southern League Stories from June 23, 2025
- Smokies at Shuckers Series Recap - Knoxville Smokies
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