Danville's Beckwith hits three homers
The Braves prospect slugged three homers and tied a career high with five RBIs as Rookie-level Danville cruised to a rain-shortened 10-2 triumph over the Royals.
Beckwith hit a two-run shot to left field in the first inning, then led off the third with a blast to right-center. After drawing a leadoff walk in the fifth, he launched another two-run bomb to right in the sixth.
"The first and last were going out, for sure. I didn't think the second would make it," Beckwith said. "The center fielder almost had it, but the wind carried it out."
The Mississippi native, who turns 21 on Friday, was on deck when rain halted play in the top of the eighth inning. It never resumed.
Beckwith also drove in five runs in an 11-4 rout of Burlington on July 17, but this was the first multi-homer game of his brief career. In fact, the only other time he recalled hitting three in one game was back in high school.
"This is my greatest moment ever," Beckwith said. "It's my best game as a pro."
Beckwith, the Braves' 21st-round pick in last year's Draft, was mired in a 2-for-13 slump earlier this month but worked with hitting coach D.J. Boston and is 7-for-14 in his last four games. He ranks third in the Appalachian League with a .611 slugging percentage and is tied for third with a .426 on-base percentage.
"All the credit goes to D.J. He has helped me break out of my little slump and now I'm seeing the ball well," Beckwith said.
Leadoff man Nick Ahmed went 3-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs, while John Cornely (3-1) tossed three innings of scoreless relief for the win. The Braves have won three in a row and trail first-place Bluefield by one game in the Eastern Division.
"It's all about hard work and dedication. It's all about the team," Beckwith said. "This was a big win for us. The pitching staff and position players and coaches have all worked hard to get to where we are."
David Schoenholtz is a contributor to MLB.com.