Smokies blank M-Braves 6-0 in Tuesday's series opener in Tennessee 

KODAK, TN (June 18, 2024) — For only the fifth time this season, the Mississippi Braves were shut out by the opposition on Tuesday night, falling to the Tennessee Smokies in Tuesday's series opener, 6-0. Tennessee's Connor Noland (W, 4-2) and two relievers combined for the three-hit shutout at Smokies Stadium.

Added to the M-Braves (29-34) active roster on Tuesday afternoon, left-hander Mitch Farris (L, 0-1) made his Double-A debut, appearing at the third level of the Atlanta Braves' farm system this season. The former 14th-round pick in 2023 struggled with command and gave up solo home runs in the first and second inning, eventually leaving after 3+ innings, four runs, five hits, four walks, and one strikeout.

Noland held the Mississippi offense in check, allowing only three base runners over the 7.0 scoreless innings. The right-hander handed out no walks, but had no strikeouts in the outing. Noland and relievers Blake Weiman and Cam Sanders faced just one over the minimum and sat down 18 of the final 19 Mississippi batters.

Tennessee (37-26) got solo home runs from Matt Shaw, Haydyn McGeary, and Yohendrick Pinango and pounded 11 hits in the dominant win. The Smokies find themselves just 1.5 games behind first-place Birmingham in the Southern League's North Division standings.

Landon Harper provided effective relief, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth, allowing two hits. Geraldo Quintero was 1-for-3 and stole his 20th base of the season on Tuesday night, and Cody Milligan was 1-for-3 with his 19th steal.

The M-Braves and Smokies meet again for game two of the six-game set on Wednesday night at Smokies Stadium. The first pitch is set for 6:00 pm CT with RHP Ian Mejia (5-0, 1.79) starting for Mississippi against RHP Chris Kachmar (1-1, 4.32) for Tennessee. Coverage begins at 5:45 pm CT on 102.1 The Box, Bally Live, and MiLB.tv.