Braves Pound Charlotte 19-3

The Gwinnett Braves banged out 19 hits in a 19-run attack to beat the Charlotte Knights 19-3 in front of 5,997 fans Saturday at Knights' Stadium in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

The Braves scored six runs in the top of the second, sending 10 batters to the plate. J.C. Holt, Brooks Conrad, Diory Hernandez and Wes Timmons each drove in a run in that frame. Catcher Alvin Colina added a two-run double.

The Braves added four more in the third, highlighted by a three-run homer to right by Colina. Gwinnett led 10-1 after three and a half innings.

Barbaro Canizares' two-run double in the fifth headlined a four-run inning that increased the Braves' lead to 14-2.

Run-scoring singles by Gregor Blanco and Diory Hernandez pushed the lead to 16-3 in the sixth. The Braves then added three in the seventh to reach the final 19-3 margin.

Holt was 3-for-6 with four RBI in his first start at second base for the Braves. Canizares had another big night at the plate - the first baseman was 3-for-6 with two RBI. Colina was 2-for-5 with five RBI on the night.

Francisley Bueno, pitching in relief of starter James Parr, picked up the win. Bueno allowed only one run in 2.2 innings. He is 1-0 on the season. Parr worked 4.1 strong innings, allowing two runs and striking out four. Manny Acosta and Luis Valdez held the Knights scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, to finish out the game.

RHP Jeff Marquez suffered the loss for the Knights. The Braves banged him around for six hits and six runs in only 1.2 innings of work.

The Braves and Knights play the final game of the series tomorrow afternoon at Knights Stadium at 2:15 p.m. Braves RHP Charlie Morton (0-0) will be making his first start of the season. RHP and former-first-round-draft-choice Lance Broadway (0-0) will get his first start of the season for Charlotte.