Waldrep shines, but M-Braves shut out again by Barons on Saturday

BIRMINGHAM, AL (April 20, 2024) — The Mississippi Braves were shut out for the second consecutive game on Saturday, 1-0, in game one of the scheduled doubleheader at Regions Field. Rain postponed game two. Hurston Waldrep, the Atlanta Braves' second-ranked prospect, turned in his best start of 2024 with 6.0 innings of one-run baseball, suffering a tough-luck loss.

Due to forecasted heavy rain and storms, the second game was postponed and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Sunday, with the first game starting at 1:45 pm.

Waldrep (L, 0-3) struggled through his first two starts, with the opposition scoring ten runs on 15 hits in 7.0 total innings. But Saturday, he gave up just one run on eight hits with one walk and five strikeouts. The Barons (8-5) sent out another top prospect for the White Sox opposite Waldrep in sixth-ranked Jairo Iriarte. The Venezuelan right-hander left after 5.0 scoreless frames on four hits.

The M-Braves (4-9) had a runner on base in six of seven innings but stranded five of them, finishing 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Cody Milligan was 2-for-3 with a single in the third and a leadoff double in the sixth. Birmingham reliever Connor McCullough (W, 2-1) retired the next three batters to strand Milligan at third base. Geraldo Quintero worked a one-out walk in the seventh, but McCullough struck out the next two.

In the bottom of the seventh, former Ole Miss star Tim Elko started off the frame with a single and then moved to third on a single by Duke Ellis. The M-Braves employed a five-man infield, with the winning run being third. Despite Milligan moving from center to shortstop, Jacob Burke found a hole on the left side of the infield to score Elko and give the Barons a 1-0 walk-off win.

Nacho Alvarez Jr. was 1-for-3 at the plate and made a couple of great defensive plays at shortstop to help preserve the shutout through six innings. Alvarez extended his team-leading hit streak to six games.

Due to the game two postponement, Sunday will now be a doubleheader featuring two seven-inning games. The second game will start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first contest. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1:45 pm, with Mississippi sending RHP JJ Niekro (1-0, 1.69) to the mound in game one and LHP Drew Parrish (1-2, 4.76) starting game two. Coverage begins at 1:30 pm on 102.1 The Box, Bally Live, and MiLB.tv. The M-Braves return to Trustmark Park for a six-game series against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos from April 30 to May 5. For tickets and information on the latest promotions, visit mississippibraves.com.