Niekro, M-Braves win weather-shortened home opener over Shuckers, 2-0
PEARL, MS — Mother nature brought some fury to the Mississippi Braves (1-3) final home opener on Tuesday night, but not before a 2-0 weather-shortened win over the Biloxi Shuckers (2-2) at Trustmark Park. The three-hit shutout from JJ Niekro and Jonathan Hughes was Mississippi's first victory this season. Fittingly,
PEARL, MS — Mother nature brought some fury to the Mississippi Braves (1-3) final home opener on Tuesday night, but not before a 2-0 weather-shortened win over the Biloxi Shuckers (2-2) at Trustmark Park. The three-hit shutout from JJ Niekro and Jonathan Hughes was Mississippi's first victory this season.
Fittingly, a Niekro started the final home opener in club history, and JJ (1-0), the son of Joe Niekro, and nephew of Phil Niekro, dazzled to earn the win. The 26-year-old struck out five over six shutout innings, allowing only three hits and retiring nine of the final ten batters faced in his Double-A debut.
Niekro and Biloxi starter TJ Shook (0-1) were locked in a pitcher's duel until the M-Braves broke through in the bottom of the fifth. Justin Dean doubled and stole third, then leadoff hitter Cal Conley doubled him home to make it 1-0. Geraldo Quintero walked against Biloxi reliever Kaleb Bowman, stole second base, and scored on a Dean single to left.
The 2-0 lead would be plenty for Niekro and reliever Hughes, who pitched a scoreless top of the seventh inning.
The game was halted at 8:25 in the top of the eighth inning when tornado sirens blared from cell phones around Trustmark Park. The game never resumed and was officially announced as final at 9:00 pm.
Nacho Alvarez walked three times and reached safely in all four games, pushing his season on-base percentage to .556. Conley is the lone M-Braves player to hit in all four games after going 2-for-4 with a double and RBI on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, the M-Braves and Shuckers will play an 11:05 am Education Day game. LHP Drew Parrish (0-1, 16.20) is scheduled to start against Biloxi LHP Nate Peterson (0-0, --). Coverage will be on 102.1 The Box, MiLB.tv, and Bally Live.
ABOUT THE MISSISSIPPI BRAVES
Located in Pearl, Mississippi, since 2005, the Mississippi Braves are the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The M-Braves will commemorate the 20th and final season at Trustmark Park beginning on Opening Day, Tuesday, April 9, against the Biloxi Shuckers at 6:35 pm. You can view a PDF schedule HERE. Season Tickets, Sponsorships, Group Outings, and more are now available by calling 888-BRAVES4 or visiting mississippibraves.com.
ABOUT DIAMOND BASEBALL HOLDINGS
Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH) was formed in 2021 to support, promote, and enhance Minor League Baseball Clubs affiliated with Major League Baseball through professional management, best practices, innovation, and investment (DiamondBaseballHoldings.com).