M-Braves Drop Series Opener in Jacksonville

Jacksonville, FL - The Jacksonville Suns jumped out to an early lead and never looked back on Thursday night at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, sending the Mississippi Braves to a 9-4 loss to open a five-game series.

 

The Suns (10-11) scored three runs off starter Andrew Thurman (0-2) in the first.  Yefri Perez led off the bottom of the first with a walk, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch before shortstop JT Riddle started the scoring with a one-out RBI single.

 

Then with two out in the inning, Brady Shoemaker, Matt Juengel and Francisco Arcia singled in a row, with Shoemaker and Arcia driving home a run apiece for a 3-0 lead.

 

The Suns added another in the second.  Jacksonville starting pitcher Jake Esch doubled to lead off the inning, followed by a Perez RBI single for a 4-0 lead.

 

Shoemaker led off the third with a solo home run, extending the lead to 5-0 Suns, the last run given up by Thurman.  The M-Braves (7-14) starter went three innings, giving up five runs on eight hits, striking out one and walking one in the loss.

 

Shoemaker finished with three hits and a triple shy of the cycle.

 

The Braves got on the board in the fourth when Jacob Schrader hit a one-out double to straightaway centerfield.  Two batters later, Sean Godfrey doubled to drive in Schrader, pulling it to 5-1.

 

But Jacksonville didn't stop, adding three more in the bottom of the fourth against reliever Danny Burawa in his M-Braves debut.  With one out, Jeremias Pineda and JT Riddle singled, setting up a two-run double with two outs for Shoemaker.  Juengel followed with an RBI single to grow the lead to 8-1.

 

The M-Braves scored twice more in the fifth.  Emerson Landoni hit a pinch-hit single and Ozzie Albies walked for two men on.  With two out, Dustin Peterson ripped a slicing double down the right field line for two runs, pulling it to 8-3.

 

Jacksonville got their final run in the bottom of the fifth.  Pinch-hitter Moises Sierra singled and Perez reached on an error at third.  Pineda grounded into a force at second, putting men at the corners for a Riddle sacrifice fly.

 

Esch (4-1) picked up the win for the Suns, allowing three runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out five while walking three.

 

The Braves gave one final effort at a comeback in the seventh.  Matt Lipka as a pinch-hitter was hit by a pitch and scored from first on a double by Albies, who was thrown out at third trying to stretch it to a triple.

 

Albies finished with three hits, his fifth three-hit game of the season.  Carlos Franco and Godfrey each added two hits, while Jason Hursh, Kyle Kinman and Madison Younginer combined for four innings without an earned run.

 

The Braves and Suns battle in the second of a five game series from the Baseball Grounds on Friday night at 6:05 PM CT, with right-hander Chris Ellis (2-0, 1.16) taking the hill for the Braves opposite Jacksonville left-hander Jarlin Garcia (0-0, 3.10).

 

Mississippi Braves (7-14)                              4 R          11 H       1 E
Jacksonville Suns (10-11)                              9 R          14 H       0 E

W - Esch (4-1)
L - Thurman (0-2)
Time: 2:49
Attendance: 3,226