Tarnok fans 12 as M-Braves win third-straight over Wahoos, 5-1

Photo by Eddie Kelly

PENSACOLA, FL - Behind a career-high 12 strikeouts by Freddy Tarnok, and homers by Greyson Jenista, Jalen Miller, and Justin Dean, the M-Braves won their third-straight in Pensacola on Thursday night, 5-1. The loss for Pensacola was their seventh in a row.

The three-homer game pushed the series total to 13, the most in a three-day stretch in club history.

Tarnok made his second Double-A start and set a new career-high with 12 strikeouts, earning his first M-Braves win. The 22-year-old from Brandon, FL, tossed 5.0 innings and gave up only a solo home run at the bottom of the second inning to Lazaro Alonso.

Tarnok retired 15 batters over the outing, 12 via strikeout, including striking out the side in the first and third innings. The 12 strikeouts were the most by an M-Braves pitcher this season, besting Spencer Strider's 11-strikeout performance on July 6. In addition, the 12 is the most for a Mississippi starter since Ian Anderson struck out 14 during the combined no-hitter on June 28, 2019.

The Braves tied the game and took the lead with a pair of runs in the third inning. Jenista hit his second home run of the season, and 11th of the season to tie the game at 1-1. Then, with two outs, Braden Shewmake hit a screaming ground ball down the left-field line, scoring Jalen Miller to give the Braves the lead.

Drew Lugbauer doubled to start the top of the fourth inning, moving to third base on a deep fly out to right by Wendell Rijo. Hendrik Clementina singled to left to score Lugbauer, and it was 3-1.

Dean opened the top of the fifth inning with an opposite-field home run to right-center, his sixth of the season, extended the lead to 4-1. The M-Braves scored four runs off of Pensacola starter Zach McCambley (L, 0-3), including the two homers.

The M-Braves capped off their scoring with the third home run of the night by Jalen Miller in the top of the ninth inning to push the advantage to four at 5-1. Miller became the third M-Brave to homer in back-to-back days during the series.

Miller, Shewmake, Jenista, Clementina, and Lugbauer all recorded two hits in the win.

The M-Braves bullpen shut down the Wahoos over the final four innings. Will Latcham struck out the side in the sixth, Troy Bacon added a scoreless eighth, and Sean McLaughlin put up a zero in the eighth. Daysbel Hernandez finished off the win with a pair of strikeouts in the ninth.

The M-Braves set a new season-high with 20 strikeouts on Thursday night.

The M-Braves will look to push the winning streak to four games on Friday night at Blue Wahoos Stadium. RHP Spencer Strider (1-4, 6.65) will start for the M-Braves against RHP Jeff Lindgren (3-6, 4.76) for Pensacola. The first pitch is set for 6:35 pm, with coverage on 103.9 WYAB, mississippibraves.com, and MiLB.tv.

The M-Braves will return to Trustmark Park and host the Biloxi Shuckers again, August 10-15. The series will be highlighted by Clunker Car Night and a Cristian Pache bobblehead giveaway. Tickets may be purchased HERE, or by calling 888-BRAVES4 or stopping by the Trustmark Park box office Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.