Letson’s Franchise Record-Tying 12 K’s Keeps Shuckers Alive with SLCS Game 2 Shutout

MADISON, AL – Bishop Letson put together one of the best pitching performances in Biloxi Shuckers franchise history, striking out 12 over seven scoreless innings to shutout the Rocket City Trash Pandas in Game 2 of the Southern League Championship Series, 7-0 on Tuesday night at Toyota Field to force a series-deciding Game 3.

Letson’s dozen punchouts tied the Shuckers single-game record (12), most recently set by Jacob Misiorowski on August 15, 2023 at Mississippi. He combined with reliever Wande Torres collect the third-most strikeouts (17) in a SLCS game since '05. The shutout also represented the fourth by Biloxi in the playoffs ever and the first since Game 1 of the 2018 SLCS (7-0 vs. Jackson).

The Shuckers and Trash Pandas were in a stalemate until the sixth, when Jesús Made ripped an RBI double and Andrew Fischer followed with his second homer of the postseason, 104 mph off the bat, going 370 feet to make it 3-0. Fischer plated another pair of runs on an RBI double in the eighth to inflate the advantage to 5-0. The Shuckers strung together two more runs in the ninth after a Dylan O’Rae bunt single scored Darrien Miller from first base and Made drove home O’Rae with a run-scoring single.

Andrew Fischer (2-for-4, 4rbi) anchored the offense with four driven in, while Jesús Made (2-for-4, 2rbi) also recorded a multi-RBI contest. Braylon Payne (3-for-5) led the way for the Shuckers in the hit column and collected his first multi-hit outing of the postseason.

Bishop Letson (2-0) picked up his second win of the postseason and concludes his campaign with 11 shutout innings and 16 strikeouts over a pair of playoff starts. Chris Cortez was given the loss. In Wande Torres’ two innings in relief, he fanned a Double-A high with five strikeouts.

The Shuckers victory sets up one game to decide the Southern League title in Game 3 of the Championship Series on Wednesday at Toyota Park. Biloxi is one win away from the first outright title by a Brewers Double-A affiliate since 1994 and the first in franchise history. 2026 represents the 18th SLCS to reach a deciding game and the 5th since 2019. It's the sixth LCS w/ a Brewers Double-A affiliate to go the distance (fifth in the SL, third with the Shuckers. The final game of the season is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Coverage begins at 6:15 p.m. with the On-Deck Show on the Biloxi Shuckers Radio Network and The Hype 100.9.

Fans can save up to 50% off day-of-game pricing by securing their 2027 season membership. Season Memberships, Mini Plans and group outings are available now by visiting biloxishuckers.com, the ballpark offices and by calling (228) 233-3465. Fans can also receive more information regarding the full promotion schedule and single-game tickets on the Shuckers website.

ABOUT THE BILOXI SHUCKERS:

The Biloxi Shuckers are the Double-A Affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Shuckers are members of the Southern League and play at Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi, Mississippi. For more information, please visit biloxishuckers.com and follow us on Twitter @biloxishuckers and at facebook.com/biloxishuckers.

ABOUT SHUCKERS BASEBALL, LLC:

Shuckers Baseball, LLC is a MS entity owned and operated by John Tracy. Shuckers Baseball operates the Biloxi Shuckers baseball franchise, including operating Keesler Federal Park for Biloxi Shuckers minor league baseball games and other entertainment and recreational events.