BUFFALO, NY – The International League’s halfway point has arrived and with it comes a record reset on Tuesday for all 20 teams. Through the season’s first 75 games, the Charlotte Knights posted one of the better marks in the IL, 42-33, punctuated by a series clinching 5-0 shutout win over the Buffalo Bisons on Sunday afternoon.
All five of the Knights’ runs came in the top of the first inning. Caden Connor ripped a two-run single and Andy Weber clubbed a three-run double. Those two hits accounted for the entirety of the damage for both teams.
The Knights’ pitching staff was electric in recording their second shutout of the week. Noah Schultz tossed 2.2 innings in his second rehab start, then turned the ball over to Shane Murphy. The left-hander followed Schultz with a brilliant 4.1 frames that included four strikeouts and only one hit.
Ben Peoples and Jairo Iriarte closed out the Bisons over the final two stanzas with a scoreless inning pitched apiece.
Charlotte finished the first half with a 20-15 road record, that included victories in 11 of their last 13 games away from home. The Knights also led all of Triple-A in run differential during the first half with a +95 mark.
In the end, the Knights put together an incredibly efficient 75-game stretch. Charlotte ended up a few games behind Memphis for the only playoff spot available at the season’s halfway point.
The second half of the season will begin on Tuesday from Truist Field as the Knights welcome in the Rochester Red Wings for a six-game series. Rochester finished the first half 45-28 but also came up just short of clinching a playoff spot.