Thursday brought a wave of runs across the Atlanta Braves’ minor league system, with every full-season affiliate coming away with a win. Three clubs put up 11 or more, the fourth scored seven, and the only setback came from the DSL side. Conor Essenburg, Alex Lodise, Eric Hartman, Patrick Clohisy, and Luis Guanipa all stood out at the plate, while Lucas Braun and Landon Beidelschies delivered strong starts.
Gwinnett handled Durham 7-3 behind a solid outing from Lucas Braun and a big night from Brewer Hicklen. Braun worked six innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six and generating 16 whiffs to earn the win. The bullpen finished it cleanly, with Rolddy Munoz and Hayden Harris each tossing a scoreless inning and James Karinchak striking out three in a perfect ninth.
Hicklen did most of the damage offensively, going 3-for-4 with a walk, a homer, a double, two runs scored, and an RBI. He fell a triple short of the cycle and launched his 17th home run of the season.
Patrick Clohisy reached base three times, stole two bags, scored once, and drove in a run. Sean Murphy added two hits in his rehab assignment, Andrew McCutchen also had two hits, and Ha-Seong Kim went hitless in three at-bats but drew two walks.
Columbus kept the offense rolling in an 11-3 win over Rocket City, and recent addition Braden Scott turned in a strong third appearance for the club. Scott went six innings, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three and producing 16 whiffs. Luis Vargas and Ray Kerr each threw a scoreless inning, and Owen Hackman gave up a run in the ninth.
Carson Taylor and Adam Zebrowski powered the Clingstones’ attack. Taylor went 3-for-5 with a homer, three runs, and three RBI, while Zebrowski finished 2-for-5 with a homer, two runs, and three RBI.
Dalton McIntyre added two hits, a walk, and two runs scored. Jordan Groshans homered, walked, and drove in three, and Luke Waddell and Matt Scannell each chipped in multi-hit games.
Ambioris Tavarez singled and walked.
Rome’s 11-8 win over Hub City looked closer on the scoreboard than it really was, even after the Spartanburgers pushed across five runs over the final three innings. Eric Hartman reached base twice, scored twice, and stole a base.
Dixon Williams homered, walked, scored twice, and drove in three, giving him 13 homers on the year. Mason Guerra also left the yard and added a double, finishing with two runs and two RBI.
Alex Lodise had a two-hit night with two runs scored and an RBI, and Owen Carey also posted a two-hit game.
On the mound, Luke Sinnard started and worked 2.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits and three walks while striking out one. Zach Royse followed with four innings in relief, giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks but striking out five and missing 12 bats. Logan Samuels allowed a run in his inning, Tyler Schoff gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning, and Jaret Whorff got the final out for the save.
Augusta was the loudest offense of the night, crushing Columbia 15-3. Landon Beidelschies gave the GreenJackets a useful start, going 4.2 innings and allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out five. Kade Woods followed with 2.1 scoreless innings, and Styven Paez allowed two unearned runs in the ninth before Ryan Heppner recorded the final two outs.
The bats came alive immediately with five runs in the first inning, and the GreenJackets never let up. Conor Essenburg reached base five times, doubling and drawing four walks in six plate appearances while also scoring and driving in two.
Luis Guanipa went 2-for-6 with a run, an RBI, and a stolen base. Cody Miller homered, walked, scored twice, and drove in three.
Cooper McMurray also homered and knocked in four. Nick Montgomery reached base three times and scored three runs, while Caden Merritt, Hayden Friese, and Joe Olsavsky all reached multiple times.
Juan Mateo added a single.
The DSL Braves were the lone team to come up short, falling 5-1 to DSL LAD Bautista. Charlis Medina started and ran into trouble early, allowing three runs, two earned, in the first inning before settling in and keeping the opposition off the board over his next three frames. Giovanni Medina followed with four innings, allowing a run in both the seventh and eighth while striking out four.
Offensively, the DSL club had a quiet day, finishing with just three hits through eight innings and five hits overall. The only run came in the ninth when Elisandro Ramirez, in right field, hit an inside-the-park home run for his second of the season.
Luis Fortunato was the most productive hitter, going 3-for-4 with a stolen base. Yasseel Pena added a single, a walk, and a steal.
Sherrintely Da Costa Gomez went hitless in three at-bats but walked, and Elioberto Mondesir swiped two bases in the loss.
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