Smokies Shut Out By Braves

PEARL, MS - For the first time this season, the Mississippi Braves (54-59, 21-21) scored more than five runs against the Tennessee Smokies (48-64, 15-28), winning 6-0 at Trustmark Park on Saturday evening. The shutout runs the season total to nine for Tennessee.  
Pitching from both sides mowed down batters early. In his Double-A debut, Smokies starter RHP Erich Uelmen (L, 0-1) gave up a pair of singles in the first inning, one of which scored a run and presented the Braves an early 1-0 lead.
After that, Uelmen locked in and did not surrender a hit with just one walk over the next four innings. Then in the fifth, the Braves caught up to Uelmen and got the bats going. The former 4th round selection walked the first batter and hit the next setting up Ryan Casteel to build on the lead with an RBI line drive single to center scoring both runners.
The Braves chased Uelmen out in the fifth by adding two more runs on three hits to tally the score up to a 5-0 Mississippi lead.
The ERA king of the Southern League, LHP Tucker Davidson (W, 7-6), knocked his ERA down with a scoreless six inning performance. In his Double-A debut, as well, RHP Brandon White continued the shutout by tossing two, one-hit, innings with a pair of strikeouts. 
Casteel finished the night going 2-for-4 with 3 RBI and a walk. His third RBI came in the seventh when he singled in Ray-Patrick Didder tacking on the team's sixth run, the most in any game against the Smokies this season.   
The Smokies will try again to clinch the series on Sunday with RHP Jake Stinnett (1-2, 5.14) hopping on the mound for Tennessee against Braves LHP Phil Pfeifer (1-1, 4.91) as first pitch is set for 6:05 pm EDT.