Jacksonville sweeps doubleheader, wins seventh straight

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp swept their doubleheader with the Charlotte Knights, 4-3 and 3-1 Saturday night at VyStar Ballpark in front of 7,114 fans.

Trailing 3-2 in the fourth, Connor Norby (1) crushed a solo home run, tying the game at three for Jacksonville (11-3). Three batters later, Agustín Ramírez (2)smashed another home run, giving the Jumbo Shrimp a 4-3 lead against Charlotte (6-8).

Jacksonville took the initial lead in game one. Norby singled to start the first inning. Jesús Sánchez and Maximo Acosta followed with back-to-back walks. With the bases juiced, Ramírez smacked a sacrifice fly, plating the first run of the game. In the ensuing at-bat, Deyvison De Los Santos walked to load the bases again. With bases full of Shrimp, Charlotte starter Jairo Iriarte threw a wild pitch, allowing Sánchez to score, extending the Jumbo Shrimp’s lead to two.

The Knights responded in the top of the second. Kyle Teel walked, and Tim Elko singled to begin the frame. Two batters later, Bobby Dalbec (2) demolished a three-run home run, giving Charlotte a 3-2 lead.

Jacksonville struck first in game two of the doubleheader. Troy Johnston was hit by a pitch to start the frame. Ronny Simon followed with a base hit, pushing Johnston to third. Simon quickly swiped second, putting two runners in scoring position. Following a strikeout, Brian Navaretto plated Johnston on an RBI groundout, giving the Jumbo Shrimp a 1-0 lead against Charlotte.

The Jumbo Shrimp extended their lead in the home half of the fifth. With one out, Jakob Marsee singled, advanced to second on an error and quickly stole third. Acosta followed with a walk, stealing second soon after. With runners at second and third, Ramírez ripped an RBI single, extending the Jacksonville lead to 2-0.

Up by two in the sixth, Navaretto (1) clobbered a two-out solo home run, giving Jacksonville a 3-0 advantage.

Charlotte added a run in the top of the ninth. With two outs, Dom Fletcher (1) walloped a solo home run, making it 3-1 and avoiding a potential shutout.

Jacksonville and Charlotte will wrap up the series Sunday at 3:05 p.m. from VyStar Ballpark. RHP Austin Roberts (0-0, 1.13 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Jumbo Shrimp and RHP Owen White (0-1, 2.61 ERA) will counter for the Knights. Coverage begins at 2:50 p.m. on Bally Live, MLB.tv, MiLB.tv, ESPN 690, and ESPN690.com.

Gates open at 2 p.m. for Baptist Health Sunday Family FUNday. Thanks to Baptist Health, the Jumbo Shrimp will host pre-game catch on the field for the first 20 minutes after gates open. Fans can access the field for pregame catch through the Baptist Health Centerfield Plaza via the Main Gate on Georgia St. Kids can also feel like the pros after each Sunday game by rounding the bases once the field is clear. Sunday is also “Youth Sports Day” at VyStar Ballpark. The Jumbo Shrimp are proud to welcome youth sports groups from all over North Florida for a fun day of baseball and recognition!

ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins and compete in the International League. The team calls VyStar Ballpark home for baseball but also a wide variety of additional community focused events with a goal of providing Affordable, Family, FUN to Northeast Florida. Winners of many marketing and sales awards and recognition since the team was rebranded prior to the 2017 season, the Jumbo Shrimp continually lead the state of Florida in attendance across all minor league professional sports organizations.