Aldrin Batista returned to the mound with Winston-Salem Wednesday night for the first time since his 2025 debut on April 6, when he suffered a stress fracture in his right elbow. He allowed an unearned run over two innings, although it could've been worse. He gave up a double off the top of the right-center wall, opened his second inning with an HBP and a four-pitch walk, then allowed the run to score on an errant pickoff throw. But given that it very much looked like his season could've been lost with all the other Tommy John surgery cases, the fact that he was pitching at all was half the battle.
Catching him was Grant Magill, an undrafted free agent making his Winston-Salem debut. He's 24 and slugged just .266 over 126 plate appearances at Kannapolis, but nevertheless, it's notable that he was the one bumped up in order to accommodate Rylan Galvan, the 13th-round pick out of Texas, because I figured that Ronny Hernandez might be the guy to get that call after 174 games with Kannapolis the last two years. So far, that isn't the case.
Galvan made his professional debut with Kannapolis behind the plate, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
Norfolk 4, Charlotte 3 (Game 1, 7 innings)
- Will Robertson went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Tim Elko was 1-for-3 with a sac fly.
- Bryan Ramos, 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
- Jacob Gonzalez went 0-for-3.
- Ben Peoples blew the save in the ninth: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 14 of 24 pitches for strikes.
Charlotte 6, Norfolk 1 (Game 2, 7 innings)
- Will Robertson had the same line as Game 1, but with a double.
- Tim Elko went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Bryan Ramos, 1-for-4 with a double and two strikeouts.
- Jairo Iriarte: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 8 of 16 pitches for strikes.
Winston-Salem 6, Wilmington 3
- Samuel Zavala was 1-for-4 with a double.
- Jeral Perez tripled, singled and struck out twice.
- Kyle Lodise was 1-for-4 at the plate and 1-for-2 on the basepaths.
- Ryan Burrowes, 1-for-4.
- Christian Oppor: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 45 of 69 pitches for strikes.
- Aldrin Batista: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP, 15 of 27 pitches for strikes.
Delmarva 6, Kannapolis 1
- Kaleb Freeman went 1-for-3 with a walk, strikeout and CS.
- Caleb Bonemer played short, going 1-for-4.
- George Wolkow was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a stolen base.
- Anthony DePino, 0-for-2 with two walks.
- Colby Shelton singled, walked and struck out twice.
- Rylan Galvan made his pro debut, going 0-for-3 with a K.
- Blake Shepardson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 8 of 16 pitches for strikes.
- Pierce George: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 6 of 14 pitches for strikes.
Notes:
*The Cannon Ballers have now lost 10 straight.
