M-Braves win opener of home away from home series on Thursday over Trash Pandas 7-5
MADISON, ALA (June 13, 2024) — Playing as the home team at Toyota Field on Thursday, the Mississippi Braves won the series opener 7-5 to snap a four-game losing streak. Geraldo Quintero hit his second home run and drove in three, scoring two runs and stealing two bases in the
MADISON, ALA (June 13, 2024) — Playing as the home team at Toyota Field on Thursday, the Mississippi Braves won the series opener 7-5 to snap a four-game losing streak. Geraldo Quintero hit his second home run and drove in three, scoring two runs and stealing two bases in the win.
When Ian Mejia pitches, the M-Braves (26-32) are now 10-1 in 2024. Mejia logged his sixth quality start of the season but settled for a no-decision.
Rocket City (31-26) struck first against the Braves in the second inning to take a 1-0 lead, but it didn't last long. The M-Braves sent eight batters to the plate in the bottom of the frame and scored four to take a 4-1 advantage. Bryson Horne reached on a throwing error from rehabbing Angels pitcher Sam Bachman to start the inning. Keshawn Ogans singled, and Tyler Tolve brought Horne in to tie the game with the first of his two doubles. Quintero followed with a laser down the right field line, clearing the wall for a three-run homer to put Mississippi up 4-1. The homer was Quintero's second this season at Toyota Field.
Quintero helped push Mississippi's lead back to three in the sixth inning without a hit. The 22-year-old walked to start the inning, stole second and third, and scored on a David Fletcher sacrifice fly.
Mejia left after 6.0 innings on Thursday night, allowing two runs on six hits with one walk and six strikeouts. Austin Smith took over for Mejia in the seventh, and Rocket City rallied for three runs to tie the game at 5-5.
Once again, the Braves answered. Ogans and Cal Conley hit one-out singles, and then Aaron Hernandez (L, 0-1) scored Ogans to make it 6-5. Tolve drove a run-scoring double to the right-center gap plating Conley, and it was 7-5.
Hayden Harris (W, 2-1) retired all four batters he faced in the seventh and eighth, and Domingo Gonzalez (S, 6) went to 6-for-6 in save chances with a scoreless ninth.
Cody Milligan was 2-for-5 on Thursday with his league-best fourth triple. Ogans, Quintero, and Tolve joined him with multiple hits. Tolve had a team-leading 14 doubles.
The win snapped the M-Braves' four-game losing streak and ended Rocket City's four-game winning streak.
On Friday night at Toyota Field, the M-Braves and Trash Pandas will play game two of the shortened five-game series. The first pitch is set for 6:35 pm, with the M-Braves again serving as the home team. LHP Drew Parrish (4-5, 4.42) is scheduled to start for the M-Braves against RHP Caden Dana (4-3, 2.57) for Rocket City. Coverage begins at 6:20 pm on 102.1 The Box, Bally Live, and MiLB.tv.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at trashpandasbaseball.com. All proceeds benefit the Rocket City Trash Pandas Foundation.