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SL1 Mississippi Braves

Waters Keeps Reaching for M-Braves

June 22, 2019 - Southern League (SL1)
Mississippi Braves News Release


PEARL, MS - Drew Waters doubled in his first at-bat on Saturday night and extended his league-best on-base streak to 28 games and hitting streak to 16 games in the Mississippi Braves' (1-2, 34-38) 5-2 loss to the Biloxi Shuckers (2-1, 43-30) at MGM Park.

Waters was a late addition to Chris Maloney's lineup on Saturday night, but the 20-year-old continued the hottest stretch of hitting this season in the Southern League. His 16-game hitting streak matches Jacksonville outfielder Brian Miller's such streak that ended on June 4. Waters is batting .385 over the on-base streak and .415 during the hitting streak. Waters leads the league in eight different offensive categories, adding his 24th double and 37th extra-base hit on Saturday.

The Woodstock, Georgia native scored his league-leading 44th run of the season on Ryan Casteel's first-inning single to give the M-Braves a 1-0 lead. Casteel is having a great series in Biloxi, collecting five hits through the first three contests.

Ian Anderson (L, 5-5) won his first three starts in June and was looking to make it four-straight in his third career start against the Shuckers and first at MGM Park. Biloxi put two on base with one out in the first inning and Friday night's star, Patrick Leonard belted another three-run home run giving the Shuckers a 3-1 advantage. Anderson threw 32 pitches in the first inning.

The Rexford, New York native battled through 6.0 innings and ended up throwing 102 pitches during his team-leading 15th start. Luis Avilles Jr. pushed Biloxi's lead to 4-1 in the fourth inning on a two-out single and Dillon Thomas hit a solo homer to right in the sixth inning to make it 5-1. Saturday marked the first time in 69 career starts that Anderson had allowed multiple home runs in a game. He ended up allowing five runs on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Anderson continues to lead the league in strikeouts with 99 over 78.2 innings pitched.

Alejandro Salazar brought home Riley Unroe in the seventh inning to pull the Braves within three at 5-2, but the visiting club got no closer. Dylan File (W, 1-0) earned his first Double-A victory with 6.0 innings of one-run baseball, and Nate Griep (S, 15) netted his league-leading 15th save in 15 opportunities.

Mississippi left-handed reliever Jordan Harrison tossed 2.0 shutout innings behind Anderson and lowered his ERA to 2.18 over 20.2 innings and 17 outings out of the bullpen.

The M-Braves and Shuckers meet for game four of the series on Sunday afternoon at MGM Park. LHP Kyle Muller (4-3, 2.58) starts for the M-Braves against All-Star Game starting pitcher for the South Division, RHP Trey Supak (8-2, 1.91) for Biloxi. First pitch is set for 2:35 pm with coverage beginning at 2:20 pm on 103.9 WYAB, TuneIn Radio and MiLB.tv (subscription required).

The M-Braves return to Trustmark Park for a promotion-filled homestand, June 25-29, against the Jackson (TN) Generals. Tickets may be purchased at mississippibraves.com, or by phone at 888-BRAVES4.

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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