CHARLOTTE – Home runs from Santiago Chavez and C.J. Hinojosa on Saturday were not enough as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp fell 6-3 to the Charlotte Knights from Truist Field.
The Knights (7-7) grabbed the lead immediately in their first at-bats against Jumbo Shrimp (7-6) starter Jeff Lindgren (1-1).
Adam Haseley led off the bottom of the first with a double. Two batters later, he scored on Victor Reyes’ RBI single. After a walk, Erik González and Jake Marisnick collected consecutive RBI singles to make it 3-0.
Charlotte starter Jesse Scholtens (1-0) struck out five of the first six batters he faced but served up a home run to Chavez in the third to get Jacksonville on the board. Hinojosa went yard to lead off the fourth to cut the deficit to 3-2.
In the bottom of the fourth, though, Sebastian Rivero doubled and Billy Hamilton singled to put runners on the corners. After a pop out, Nate Mondou lifted a sacrifice fly and Yolbert Sánchez added an RBI single.
One inning later, Carlos Pérez led off the fifth to get the advantage to 6-2.
The Jumbo Shrimp had opportunities in the late innings. Peyton Burdick and Jacob Amaya notched singles to start the seventh.
A Brian Miller RBI ground out pulled Jacksonville within 6-3, but the Jumbo Shrimp left two on in the eighth and the bases loaded in the ninth in the defeat.
Jacksonville bids for a series win in Sunday’s 1:05 p.m. contest. LHP Luis Palacios (1-1, 5.11 ERA) starts for the Jumbo Shrimp against Knights RHP Jonathan Stiever (0-0, 0.00 ERA).
(JaxSportsDay)