It speaks to the ultimate importance of an A-ball championship that, because Game 2 was rained out on Tuesday, Kannapolis and Fredericksburg ended up playing a pair of 7-inning games on Wednesday in order to decide the Carolina League title.
That said, it would've been nice for the Cannon Ballers to end up on the winning side of the suddenly abridged three-game set. They won 3-0 in Game 2 behind a gem from Tanner McDougal, only to lose 3-0 due to an utterly dominant Travis Sykora.
The symmetry stands out. Kannapolis pitching one-hit the Nats in Game 2, only for Fredericksburg to return the favor to seal the deal. McDougal and Sykora ended up with nearly identical lines:
- McDougal: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K
- Sykora: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K
And if the Ballers are going to get blanked by anybody, a 20-year-old who struck out 129 batters against 79 baserunners while posting a 2.33 ERA over 85 innings is as fine a candidate as any.
The Birmingham Barons are the last White Sox affiliate with postseason hopes, as they'll try to stave off elimination in Game 2 against Tennessee at Regions Field tonight.
Charlotte 9, Syracuse 8 (10 innings)
- Corey Julks went 2-for-4 with two walks, a strikeout and a stolen base in his first game back at Triple-A.
- Tim Elko, 2-for-5 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Colson Montgomery was 2-for-5 with a homer, walk and two strikeouts.
- Mason Adams: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 33 of 48 pitches for strikes.
- Michael Soroka: 2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 28 of 39 pitches for strikes.
- Steven Wilson: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Kannapolis 3, Fredericksburg 0 (Game 2, 7 innings)
- Sam Antonacci went 1-for-3 with a walk, strikeout and stolen base.
- George Wolkow wore a golden sombrero.
- Jeral Perez singled, walked and struck out.
- Ryan Burrowes was 1-for-3 with a double and a strikeout.
- Tanner McDougal McDealt: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K, 47 of 74 pitches for strikes.
- Aaron Combs: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 23 of 38 pitches for strikes.
Fredericksburg 3, Kannapolis 0 (Game 3, 7 innings)
- Sam Antonacci went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.
- George Wolkow was 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
- Ronny Hernandez, 0-for-3 with a K.
- Jeral Perez had the only hit, going 1-for-2.
- Ryan Burrowes struck out both times up.
- Mason Moore: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 24 of 40 pitches for strikes.
- Jake Peppers: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 8 of 15 pitches for strikes.
