The 2024 Minor League Baseball (MiLB) season is officially underway with both the Biloxi Shuckers and the Mississippi Braves partaking in Opening Day on Friday night.
On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Shuckers (1-0) got an 8-7 win over the Montgomery Biscuits in front of a crowd of 4,209. First baseman Ernesto Martinez, Jr., brought home the winning run with a walk-off single after Biloxi trailed by as many as five runs during the game.
The Biscuits (0-1) struck first in the third inning on a wild pitch and an RBI groundout from Bob Seymour to take a 2-0 lead. They added three more in the fifth off a two-RBI double from Carson Williams and a sacrifice fly from Seymour, taking a 5-0 lead.
Following a pitching change by Montgomery, the Shuckers got on the board with a two-RBI single from Martinez in the sixth, cutting the deficit to 5-2. The Biscuits responded a half-inning later with a pair of RBI singles from Dru Baker and Kenny Piper to extend their lead to 7-2.
In the eighth, third baseman Brock Wilken singled to start the inning before two balks brought him home, making it a 7-3 game. A wild pitch and two errors, including a mad dash from Noah Campbell to score from first, tied the game at seven. Finishing the game on the mound, Shane Smith retired the side for Biloxi before Martinez walked it off.
All in all, the Shuckers (AA affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers) had 11 strikeouts, led by starter Jacob Misiorowski who struck out seven over 4.1 innings of work. Alfredo Zarraga took the loss for the Biscuits (AA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays).
In Pensacola, Fla., the Mississippi Braves (AA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves) began their final season before moving to Georgia to be closer to the rest of Atlanta’s farm teams. Mississippi (0-1) blew a 3-1 lead and lost 8-6 to the Blue Wahoos (1-0). Justin Dean led Braves hitters with two hits in three at-bats while Drew Parrish took the loss on the mound.
Both the Braves and the Shuckers will be back in action on Saturday and Sunday. The in-state rivals will then meet next week in Pearl for a six-game series that will last from April 9-14.
