M-Braves slug 17 hits; Quintero has five in a 9-7 win in Sunday's road trip finale at Tennessee

KODAK, TN (June 23, 2024) — Led by a career day at the plate from Geraldo Quintero, the Mississippi Braves slugged a season-high 17 hits in a 9-7 win over the Tennessee Smokies at Smokies Stadium to close out a 17-game road trip. Quintero was 5-for-5 with a triple, two RBI, two runs, and two stolen bases, and Cody Milligan, Tyler Tolve, and Sebastian Rivero added three hits each in the win. The game included 16 runs, 27 hits, 12 pitchers used, and seven combined errors.

Sunday afternoon's game began with a terrifying collision in the right field during the top of the first inning. Rivero hit a pop fly in which Matt Shaw and Ezequiel Pagan collided, leaving Pagan motionless for several minutes. The game was paused for nearly 30 minutes to allow first responders to attend to Pagan and eventually was taken out of Smokies Stadium via ambulance.

The M-Braves tallied four runs in the top of the first, including Rivero's three-run double that resulted in the collision.

Landon Harper made a spot start on Sunday for Mississippi (31-37), and the Southern Miss product was terrific. Harper matched a season-high with 3.0 shutout innings, striking out three, walking none, and ceding two hits.

Quintero had an RBI single in the third, and Tolve hit an RBI single in the third to push the lead out to 6-0. Patrick Halligan (W, 3-0) took over for Harper in the fourth inning, and Tennesee pushed across their first run of the day. Luis Verdugo hit a two-out double that scored Matt Shaw to make it 6-1. Mississippi answered right back with a run in the top of the fifth on a Justin Dean single that scored Rivero after he doubled to start the frame.

Tennessee (40-28) made the game interesting by scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to trim the lead to 7-5. The inning was capped off by a three-run home run from Shaw.

Once again, Mississippi answered back. In the sixth, Tolve got another RBI single, and Quintero's RBI triple, his fifth hit of the game, made it 9-5.

Shaw blasted his second home run of the game with two outs in the eighth inning, with one runner on base, bringing the Smokies back within two at 9-7.

Domingo Gonzalez (S, 7) struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth inning to seal the win. The loss took Tennessee out of the hunt for a first-half title, and the M-Braves finished the first half 31-37.

Cal Conley was 2-for-6 with a double, two runs, and a stolen base, becoming the fourth Mississippi player with 20+ steals. Milligan was 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, a walk, and two runs.

Quintero's 5-for-5 day was the first five-hit game of his career and the first since Hendrik Clementina had five knocks on May 27, 2022, at Pensacola.

On the mound, the M-Braves used seven pitchers in the bullpen day, with Hayden Harris working 1.0 scoreless inning and striking out two in the seventh and Jorge Juan tossing 1.1 scoreless to get a hold. The 3-hour, 45-minute game duration was the longest of the 2024 season for a nine-inning game.

The M-Braves will enjoy a day off on Monday to travel back from Tennessee and begin a six-game homestand against the Montgomery Biscuits at Trustmark Park on Tuesday night. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 pm with coverage starting at 6:20 on 102.1 The Box, Bally Live, and MiLB.tv.

The M-Braves return to Trustmark Park to begin the second half, June 25-30, against the Montgomery Biscuits. The series features a Blues & Brews Replica Jersey Giveaway on Friday, June 28, Disability Awareness Night, Special Jersey Auction on Saturday, June 29, and Post-Game Fireworks presented by the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services.