Braun, M-Braves' bullpen come two outs shy of a combined no-hitter, beat Lookouts 4-0 on Sunday

PEARL, MS (August 25, 2024) — Lucas Braun (W, 3-1) and the Mississippi Braves' bullpen came two outs away from a combined no-hitter on Sunday afternoon but settled for a 4-0 shutout win over the Chattanooga Lookouts to close out the homestand at Trustmark Park. Braun struck out 10 for the second time in the series, tossing 7.0 hitless innings.

Braun finished the week 1-0 over two starts, allowing one run on five hits, striking out 20, and walking four. The 22-year-old from Los Angeles bookended his outing by striking out the side in the second and seventh innings, allowing only three baserunners.

Mississippi put a run on the board to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Yolbert Sanchez reached on a one-out error, advanced to third on a Cody Milligan single, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Geraldo Quintero.

The M-Braves (26-25, 57-62) went ahead 2-0 in the sixth inning on Sanchez's infield single that scored David Fletcher. Quintero and Bryson Horne opened the bottom of the seventh with singles, and they scored on a two-run double by Sebastian Rivero, making it 4-0.

Braun went back out for the eighth inning but walked Austin Hendrick in an 11-pitch at-bat and exited after 94 pitches. Patrick Halligan entered the game and struck out the side to maintain the no-hitter.

Elison Joseph entered in the ninth and walked Daniel Vellojin to start the inning. Francisco Urbaez reached on a fielder's choice, forcing out Vellojin at second bases. The next batter, Tyler Callihan, hit a double off the right-field wall to break up the no-hit bid and place runners at second and third place. Right-fielder Ethan Workinger got a piece of the glove on the ball but crashed into the walk, attempting to make a spectacular catch. Ruben Ibarra flew out to Quintero in left field, and Callihan was thrown out at third to end the game, with the run not scoring.

The combined shutout from Braun, Halligan, and Joseph is the fourth in the last 12 games for the Mississippi pitching staff and 15th on the season, which ranks T-1st in Double-A baseball and T-2nd in all of Minor League Baseball. Braun has 137 strikeouts over 21 starts this season between Rome and Mississippi, which tops the Atlanta Braves organization and ranks T-10th in MiLB. Atlanta's sixth-round selection in 2023 lowered his M-Braves ERA to 2.36 over ten starts.

Sunday's 4-0 win over Chattanooga (closed the all-time series between the M-Braves and Lookouts at 111-111.

After an off day on Monday, the M-Braves will begin a six-game road series in Pensacola on Tuesday night. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 pm from Blue Wahoos Stadium with RHP Jhancarlos Lara (0-0, 5.68) starting for Mississippi against LHP Patrick Monteverde (2-3, 6.23) for the Blue Wahoos. Coverage begins at 5:50 pm on 102.1 The Box, Bally Live, and MiLB.tv.

The final homestand is September 3-8 against the Tennessee Smokies at Trustmark Park. The historic final homestand will include a Mystery Giveaway on Friday, September 6, featuring bobbleheads and other collector's items. Saturday, September 7, is the final Post-Game Fireworks Show, and on Sunday, September 8, the first 1,000 fans will get Mississippi Braves Collectors Coin, commemorating the Farewell Season of Mississippi Braves baseball. Before the final home game, fans can come onto the field and take photos with M-Braves players and coaches. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting mississippibraves.com or calling the box office at 888-BRAVES4 to book their group.

PHOTO BY WYATT MASON