Kingham delivers another series win for M-Braves on Saturday night
PEARL, MS - Nolan Kingham was one out shy of his second career complete-game shutout on Saturday night in Biloxi, but the 24-year-old right-hander settled for 8.2 scoreless innings and his third win of the year. Kingham and Kurt Hoekstra combined for a four-hit shutout, and the Braves clinched another
PEARL, MS - Nolan Kingham was one out shy of his second career complete-game shutout on Saturday night in Biloxi, but the 24-year-old right-hander settled for 8.2 scoreless innings and his third win of the year. Kingham and Kurt Hoekstra combined for a four-hit shutout, and the Braves clinched another series victory, 3-0. The Braves have won four of five in the series and 11 of their last 15 games.
Kingham made his team-leading seventh start and matched up against Brewers' top pitching prospect Ethan Small (L, 1-2). Kingham and Small went blow for blow through seven innings before the M-Braves broke through for a run.
Shea Langeliers opened the seventh with a single, but the Mississippi State product struck out his 11th and 12th batters of the night to get two outs. Wendell Rijo drew a walk in a lengthy at-bat, and then Jefrey Ramos found a hole on the right side of the infield to bring home Langeliers and give Mississippi a 1-0 lead. Small's 12 strikeouts were a career-high.
Langeliers gave Kingham and the Braves some insurance in the eighth inning with his ninth home run of the season. The two-run home run off Biloxi reliever Matt Hardy made it 3-0. Langeliers was 2-for-4 and is tied for the league-lead in homers.
Kingham retired 24 of 27 Biloxi batters entering the ninth inning. The Texas alum needed just 25 pitches to get through 3.0 innings and 58 pitches to get through 6.0 frames. Kingham surrendered a single to start the bottom of the ninth inning but quickly retired the next two batters on groundouts. With his pitch count at 91, Dan Meyer went to the bullpen and Kurt Hoekstra. The right-hander walked one but did get the final out and finished the combined, four-hit shutout.
The M-Braves are now 7-4 on the current road trip and have won two of their last three series with the win.
The M-Braves and Shuckers wrap up their road trip on Sunday in Biloxi. In a rematch of game one, LHP Hayden Deal (1-2, 4.05) will face off against RHP Noah Zavolas (2-2, 6.18). The first pitch is set for 1:05 pm with coverage on 103.9 WYAB, mississippibraves.com and MiLB FirstPitch app.
The M-Braves will return to Trustmark Park on June 15 to begin a 12-game homestand against the Birmingham Barons and Tennessee Smokies. The homestand will feature two great giveaways. On Friday, June 18, the first 1,000 fans will get a Mississippi Braves beach towel, showcasing a panoramic photo of Trustmark Park, presented by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi. The first 1,500 fans on Friday, June 25, will get a Freddie Freeman replica jersey presented by Morgan & Morgan!
For tickets or more information about the M-Braves, visit mississippibraves.com or call 888-BRAVES4.
Based in Pearl, MS, since 2005, the Mississippi Braves are the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The M-Braves are owned and operated by the Atlanta Braves, the longest continuously operated franchise in Major League Baseball.