(UPTOWN CHARLOTTE, NC) - With late heroics both on the mound and at the plate, the Charlotte Knights rallied to walk off and beat the Rochester Red Wings 3-2 in 10 innings on Thursday night at BB&T Ballpark to finish a three-game sweep.
(UPTOWN CHARLOTTE, NC) - With late heroics both on the mound and at the plate, the Charlotte Knights rallied to walk off and beat the Rochester Red Wings 3-2 in 10 innings on Thursday night at BB&T Ballpark to finish a three-game sweep.
With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the 10th, Knights reliever Thyago Vieira escaped a major jam. After a mound visit, John Andreoli popped up to catcher Alfredo González for the second out of the inning. Vieira then struck out the next hitter, Jake Cave, with a 101 mph fastball to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.
In the bottom half, Adam Engel stole third base with one out as the winning run. Seby Zavala then ended the night with a walk-off single to shallow center, scoring Engel and setting off a wild celebration as the Knights completed their second sweep of the season.
From the start, the game was a pitcher's duel. Making his second start of the season for the Knights, Colton Turner was sharp. Over 5.0 solid innings, he limited the Red Wings to two runs on four hits with no walks and a career-high eight strikeouts to keep the game close.
Charlotte evened the score in the sixth on Matt Skole's two-run single with the bases-loaded, but the game would remain tied thanks to strong work from the Knights bullpen.
In relief of turner, Carson Fulmer struck out the side in his only inning on the mound. Ian Hamilton then struck out four over 2.0 clean innings before Vieira (W, 3-1) held Rochester off the board for 2.0 innings to earn the win.
Offensively, Danny Mendick and rehabbing White Sox outfielder Eloy Jiménez each recorded two hits and a run scored in the win.
The Knights' homestand continues on Friday night with a three-game weekend series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Dylan Cease (2-1, 3.54) is set to get the start for Charlotte. Pre-game radio coverage of the 7:04 p.m. game is set for 6:50 p.m. on 730 The Game ESPN Charlotte. The "Voice of the Charlotte Knights" Matt Swierad and long-time Knights radio broadcaster Mike Pacheco will have the call for all of the action.
