Player Grades: Magic, Banchero smash Hornets to earn playoff berth
Orlando Magic dominate Charlotte Hornets 121-90 to secure playoff berth!
Rikuu Nishida made his Triple-A debut for Charlotte, hitting his first home run despite a 4-1 loss to Jacksonville. The Birmingham Barons fell 7-4 to Rocket City, struggling with key missed opportunities.
Rikuu Nishida makes his well-deserved Triple-A debut with Charlotte on Friday. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 4, Charlotte Knights 1
Sleepy Charlotte checked out of the game to give Jacksonville an easy 4-1 win, extending the losing streak to four. Although 12 strikeouts and five hits are poor stats, at least Rikuu Nishida notched his first Triple-A home run on a nasty slider that kept Charlotte from being shut out. Ryan Galanie also got bumped from Bham to Charlotte, but he had less luck in his debut, going 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts.
Tanner McDougal faced his first setback of the season with a rough outing It was a night of threes for McDougal, as he allowed three hits, three runs, and three walks in 4 ā innings. His ERA now sits at 3.26, but heās managed to keep his batting average against less than the Mendoza line and his WHIP short of 1.15, so that shouldnāt be ignored.
Rocket City Trash Pandas 7, Birmingham Barons 4
The Barons went toe-to-toe with the Trash Pandas, but they werenāt nearly as productive. While Bham outhit Rocket City 11-10, a few costly misses led to a loss. Going 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position hurt the Barons, and untimely strikeouts in the third, fourth, seventh and ninth with at least one runner on stunted what couldāve been a win. Despite the loss, at least Braden Montgomery and Alex Mackarewicz put on a show with home runs in the fourth, putting Bham back in the contest.
Shane Murphyās rocky start quickly set the Barons back. While he gave up three runs early and a home run, he eventually settled in to complete six innings with only five hits allowed and five strikeouts. Eric Adler, who has really had a rough start to the season, didnāt help matters as a reliever. He took the loss after he handed Rocket City three runs in one inning. Across the board, Bhamās pitching didnāt help the team in any way.
Rikuu Nishida hit his first Triple-A home run during his debut with Charlotte, despite the team losing 4-1.
Tanner McDougal allowed three hits, three runs, and three walks in 4 ā innings, resulting in an ERA of 3.26.
The Barons struggled with runners in scoring position, going 1-for-6, and faced untimely strikeouts that hindered their chances of winning.
The final score was Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 4, Charlotte Knights 1.
Orlando Magic dominate Charlotte Hornets 121-90 to secure playoff berth!
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Winston-Salem Dash 8, Asheville Tourists 4
As the only team with a winning level in Chicagoās system, the Dash evened the series against Asheville behind an active bottom half of the lineup. While Caleb Bonemer and Ryan Burrowes took a much-deserved off-day, George Wolkow and Boston Smith stepped up for the team. Each delivered home runs with runners on, with Wolkowās coming in the fourth to pad the early lead and Smithās coming in the eighth to fend off Ashevilleās comeback attempt.
The effort on the pitching front was fair. Liam Paddack gave up two runs in his 3 ā ā inning outing, which isnāt too bad all things considered, and Luke Bell let another pair of runs squeak through in his shorter appearance. But with a healthy run cushion, their blunders are allowable.
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 5, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 2
Eager to dig themselves out of the basement of the Carolina League North, the Ballers pulled out an extra-innings comeback to bring their record up to 4-9.
Things got off to a rocky start, with Arxy Hernandez notching the only run in the first eight innings with a solo shot to left-center to give Kanny the lead for just five short outs.
The Pelicans responded with a solo home run of their own off starter Blaine Wynk. Wynk got the short end of the starting stick for a second consecutive time, as he was charged with two hits and two runs before being yanked after three innings. Even the four walks charged against him werenāt fair, as at least five of his called balls shouldāve been strikes.
Despite going down 2-1 early, Kanny somehow managed to wake up in the ninth, as Rylan Galvanās solo homer pushed the contest into extras. The CBs wasted no time in the 10th. Suddenly filled with energy, James Taussigās leadoff triple immediately put Kanny in front.
Bryce Eblin got a pass to first after getting hit, and Jaden Fauske drove Taussig in on a single to right to make it 4-2.  Javier Mogollón sent the final run across home with a sac fly to left.
That put the game in Pierce Georgeās hands. After quickly retiring the side in the ninth, he finished the game strong, inducing a ground out and two strikeouts to give Kanny its first back-to-back wins of the season.