When leafing through the box scores of the White Sox minor league affiliates, I've noticed that the Kannapolis logs require as much scrolling as a CVS receipt due to all the activity in the baserunning section.
Chad Pinder's crew continued its Cannon Baller Run this week against Columbia with seven stolen bases in eight innings.
- Tuesday: 5-for-6
- Wednesday: 3-for-4
- Thursday: 5-for-6
- Friday: 5-for-5
- Saturday: 7-for-7
That adds up to a 25-for-28 performance over just five games, and as a result, they've surged to the top of the leaderboard for all of Minor League Baseball.
| Team | Level | G | SB | CS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kannapolis | A | 14 | 53 | 5 |
| Beloit | A | 14 | 51 | 10 |
| Jacksonville | AAA | 20 | 49 | 6 |
| Columbia | A | 14 | 48 | 11 |
| Lynchburg | A | 14 | 44 | 13 |
Four of these teams are in Low-A, and three of them are in the Carolina League, so it's very much a byproduct of the level's lack of sophistication, but the Ballers also have the talent for it, particularly since Casey Saucke's move to the injured list gave Nathan Archer an opportunity to play every day. He's reached base 11 times over the first five games against Columbia, and is 6-for-6 on the basepaths afterward.
Nashville 10, Charlotte 4
- Colson Montgomery went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Brandon Drury was 1-for-5 with a K.
- Tim Elko, 2-for-3 with his fourth homer and an HBP.
- Kyle Teel went 2-for-4.
- Bryan Ramos, 1-for-4.
- Owen White: 5 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 2 HR, 63 of 93 pitches for strikes.
Birmingham 6, Biloxi 5
- Rikuu Nishida went 1-for-3 with a sac bunt and a strikeout.
- William Bergolla was 2-for-4 with a double.
- Wilfred Veras, 1-for-3 with a homer, walk and strikeout, and he was picked off.
- DJ Gladney went 1-for-4 with a K.
- Jacob Gonzalez, 2-for-4.
- Riley Gowens is the latest to forget how to throw strikes: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 1 HR, 15 of 35 pitches for strikes.
- Payton Pallette: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 15 of 23 pitches for strikes.
Greenville 10, Winston-Salem 9 (12 innings)
- Sam Antonacci went 2-for-6 with a stolen base.
- Jackson Appel was 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Jeral Perez went 2-for-4 with a homer, sac fly and a strikeout.
- Samuel Zavala went 2-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Terrell Tatum went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, which is only to note that he's still in the organization.
Kannapolis 14, Columbia 4
- Caleb Bonemer went 0-for-3 with two walks, an HBP and two strikeouts.
- Ronny Hernandez went 4-for-5 with a double.
- Braden Montgomery was 2-for-5 with his third homer and a stolen base.
- George Wolkow, 2-for-5 with his first homer and a strikeout.
- Nick McLain was 2-for-4 with a walk, strikeout and stolen base.
- Ryan Burrowes was 0-for-3 with two HBPs, a K and two stolen bases.
- Luis Reyes picked up his first stateside win: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR, 50 of 71 pitches for strikes.
- Pierce George: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 18 of 29 pitches for strikes.
Highlights:
*Montgomery's two-run shot:
*Wolkow's blast:
