M-Braves end season with 4-1 victory at Jacksonville on Monday

Jacksonville, FL -- The Mississippi Braves (38-30, 67-71) were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday night, but they ended the season on a positive note in a 4-1 victory over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (27-42, 55-82) at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The M-Braves took four out of six in the series that spanned five days and included two doubleheaders. The M-Braves will finish just one game out of first place in the Southern League South Division standings, coming up just short, but closing the final two-plus months with a 35-24 record. 

Enderson Franco  (W, 6-9) took the ball for the M-Braves for his 20th start of the season in the series and season finale. Franco had a slight hiccup in the first inning but tossed 5.0 innings of one-run baseball on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Jacksonville's Joe Dunand smacked a two-out double that scored Brian Miller giving the Shrimp a 1-0 lead after one. 

Alejandro Salazar  started Mississippi's rally in the third inning with a double and the 21-year-old scored on a single to right from Tyler Neslony  to tie the game at one. Salazar ended the day 1-for-2 and finished the season batting .301. 

Brandon Downes  put the visiting team on top for good with a 427-foot solo home run to left on the first pitch of the fifth inning from Cody Poteet (L, 3-12). The homer was Downes' third on the season and first since July 2. The M-Braves led 2-1. 

The Braves tacked on runs in the next two innings as well, on RBI singles from Carlos Martínez  and Jonathan Morales  to push the lead to 4-1 after seven. Martinez was 2-for-3 in his final game of the season and Morales was 2-for-3. 

Josh Graham  (H, 4) retired all nine batters faced over 3.0 innings with three strikeouts and Thomas Burrows  surrendered one hit in the ninth but struck out one to close the door on his sixth save. Burrows finished the season by dealing 12.1 scoreless innings and was 6-for-6 in save chances. M-Braves pitching retired 13 of the final 14 Jacksonville batters on Monday. 

The M-Braves will open the 2019 season on the road against the Tennessee Smokies, April 4-8, before commencing the 15th season at Trustmark Park against the Mobile BayBears, April 10-14. 

2019 Season Tickets are on sale now! For more information, call the M-Braves Front Office at 601.932.8788 or 888-BRAVES4, or visit www.mississippibraves.com. Individual tickets start at just $6!