M-Braves close out Trustmark Park in front of 4,411 fans on Sunday in a 10-3 loss to Smokies
PEARL, MS (September 8, 2024) — In front of 4,411 fans on Sunday afternoon, the Mississippi Braves played their final regular season home game at Trustmark Park, falling to the Tennessee Smokies 10-3. The final out was recorded at 4:57 pm and 7,083 days since the home opener on April
PEARL, MS (September 8, 2024) — In front of 4,411 fans on Sunday afternoon, the Mississippi Braves played their final regular season home game at Trustmark Park, falling to the Tennessee Smokies 10-3. The final out was recorded at 4:57 pm and 7,083 days since the home opener on April 18, 2005.
The M-Braves (30-33, 61-70) closed out this era of baseball in Mississippi with 9,745 fans on Saturday and Sunday. The Trustmark Park gates have opened 1,243 times, with 3,581,517 fans attending a Mississippi Braves baseball game.
The Smokies (44-19, 84-47) finished a six-game sweep on Sunday and forced the M-Braves into a situation where it must go 5-1 this week in Biloxi to get a playoff berth.
Jhancarlos Lara (L, 1-2) walked four and struck out four over 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on five hits. The Smokies took a 2-0 lead after sacrifice flies from Jonathan Long in the first and third innings. Long drove in the first four Smokies runs after bringing two home on a single in the fifth inning.
Once the Smokies got into their bullpen the Braves tacked on a run in the bottom of the sixth. Ethan Workinger hit a two-out RBI triple, scoring Yolbert Sanchez, and it was a 4-1 game. Tennessee starter Antonio Santos (W, 9-4) dealt 5.0 shutout innings for the win.
The Smoikes went ahead 6-1 in the seventh inning on a two-run home run from Pablo Aliendo. Cole Roederer drove in two of Tennessee's three runs in the eighth inning to push their lead to 10-1.
The big Trustmark Park crowd had a chance to erupt one last time in the eighth inning, thanks to a league-best sixth triple from Cody Milligan, scoring two, to make the score 10-3.
Jonathan Hughes made his 11th straight scoreless relief appearance with 1.2 innings, one walk and one strikeout. The Flowery Branch, GA native hasn't allowed a run over his last 18.1 innings. Elison Joseph made his ninth consecutive scoreless appearance, walking two and striking out two over 1.1 innings.
Cal Conley was 2-for-4 with a run, and Workinger was 2-for-4.
In a near must-win situation, the M-Braves will travel to Biloxi for a six-game road series to end the season. Game one of the six-game set is on Tuesday night at Keesler Federal Park, with RHP Landon Harper (2-1, 1.15) starting for the M-Braves against LHP Tate Kuehner (3-1, 3.77). The first pitch is set for 6:35 pm with coverage starting at 6:20 pm on 102.1 The Box, Bally Live, and MiLB.tv.