M-Braves Shock Shuckers 9-4   

PEARL, MS – The Mississippi Braves (16-20) scored nine unanswered runs in the final two innings to defeat the Biloxi Shuckers (17-19) 9-4 on Thursday night at Trustmark Park.

Entering the seventh inning, the Shuckers held a 4-0 lead while holding Mississippi to just three hits. The M-Braves scored five runs on five hits in the inning. The frame was capped off with a two-out bases-clearing double by C.J. Alexander off the right-field wall to score three runs and give the M-Braves a 5-4 lead. The M-Braves wouldn’t look back, scoring four more in the eighth inning including another three-run bases clearing-double by Luke Waddell off RHP Arnaldo Hernandez (L, 3-1). For the second straight night, the Braves used a big seventh inning to down the Shuckers.

In his Double-A debut, RHP T.J. Shook allowed just three hits in three shutout frames. The right-hander stranded six M-Braves runners across the first three innings as well. Shook’s strong start allowed Biloxi to take the lead in the top of the fifth inning.

After M-Braves RHP Freddy Tarnok had retired the first 13 batters in order to start the game, Jakson Reetz jumped on the first pitch of his second at-bat and crushed it over the Braves bullpen to give the Shuckers a 1-0 lead. Reetz has now homered in five of his last six games. The next batter, Tristen Lutz, homered over the right-field wall to double the lead 2-0. Biloxi has now hit back-to-back home runs in three of their last five contests.

After Gabe Holt started the sixth inning with a leadoff walk, Joey Wiemer hit a no-doubt home run on top of the grass berm in left field to extend the Biloxi lead to 4-0. Wiemer leads the Shuckers with ten home runs on the season. RHP Jake Higginbotham (W, 2-2) needed just eight pitches to toss a scoreless seventh inning and hold the deficit at four runs.

The Shuckers and M-Braves square off for game four of a six-game series on Friday night at Trustmark Park. RHP Victor Castaneda (1-2, 2.23) starts for Biloxi opposite of RHP Darius Vines (2-2 4.84). First pitch is set for 6:35 PM and the game can be seen on MiLB.TV and heard locally on WGCM AM 1240/FM 100.9 or online here. Individual tickets, Shuck Nation Memberships, Flex Plans and group outings are available for the 2022 season by calling (228) 233-3465 or visiting biloxishuckers.com.