Philip Stalzer
KNOXVILLE, TN - In their second of two back-to-back home series, the Smokies hosted the Biloxi Shuckers, the first half winners of the Southern League South. It was a battle of the best of the first half and a potential preview of a postseason matchup between these two teams.
The Smokies tried to rely on their dominant pitching and late inning offense as the Shuckers attempted to keep their relentless offense going in this matchup.
Game 1: Big Bats in the Sixth Inning
Connor Schultz and Manuel Rodriguez faced off in game one of the series. Both knew they were facing an elite offense on the other side, and both came ready to play.
Schultz surrendered the first lead, as Andrew Fischer tripled in his first at bat back in Knoxville since being drafted and Mike Boeve drove him in with a sacrifice fly. Schultz settled in until the fifth when he let up a second Biloxi run on a solo shot by Matthew Wood to make it 2-0 Biloxi.
The Cubs’ No. 1 ranked prospect Jefferson Rojas handled the response in the bottom of the fifth with a solo homer of his own, making it 2-1 Biloxi. However, Josh Adamczewski got the run right back in the top of the sixth inning with yet another solo home run to make it 3-1.
In the bottom of the inning, however, Knoxville’s bats came alive. After trailing since the second inning, Knoxville racked up six runs on five hits, keynoted by Alex Ramirez’s three-run home run.
Biloxi tried to chip away with another single run in the top of the seventh inning to make it 7-4, but Knoxville put the hammer down with two more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth as they went on to win 9-4.
Game 2: More Sixth Inning Magic
The Cubs’ No. 12 ranked prospect, Brooks Caple, took the mound for the Smokies in game two against Travis Smith, in what looked to be a bullpen game for the Shuckers.
Again, the Smokies surrendered the lead early after Caple gave up a walk and back-to-back doubles in the top of the second inning to allow Biloxi to score. Another two-out double scored two more for Biloxi in that inning, giving them the early 3-0 lead.
The Smokies finally responded in the bottom of the third inning when Cubs No. 8 ranked prospect Owen Ayers yanked a two-run homer to right field to bring the Smokies within one run.
Caple settled in after the rough second inning. Caple actually only allowed one more free pass the rest of his outing, as he finished the night allowing three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings of work.
The offense was silent on both sides until the Smokies exploded in the bottom of the sixth for the second straight game. The Smokies scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning before an out was recorded. Altogether, they scored six runs on six hits and a walk, giving them an 8-3 lead late in the game.
Biloxi was not done on offense either, as they responded immediately in the top of the seventh inning with three runs of their own to make it 8-6. Carter Trice provided a little more insurance in the bottom of the seventh inning with a solo shot to center field.
Luke Little came on in the ninth to close it out and earn his first save of the season for the Smokies as they went on to win 9-6.
Game 3: Back with a Vengeance
A lot went wrong for Knoxville in game three. First of all, Knoxville’s starter, Nick Dean, came out of the game with an apparent injury after just four outs. Immediately, manager Lance Rymel and the Smokies were forced to go off script.
On the other side of the ball, Shuckers’ starter Jaron DeBerry carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before it was broken up by an Ed Howard single.
DeBerry controlled the Smokies all game finishing with two hits and one run allowed, all in that sixth inning, while striking out 11 Smokies over seven innings.
The Smokies’ run was for naught, however, as it came in response to a six run inning in the top half of the sixth by Biloxi. Yenrri Rojas lost it in the top of the sixth inning, walking four of the first six hitters he faced in the inning to give Biloxi a run. Rymel tried to pivot to Tyler Santana out of the bullpen with the bases loaded, but he couldn’t work out of it. After Josiah Ragsdale singled in a run to make it 2-0 Biloxi, MLB’s No. 1 overall prospect Jesus Made launched a grand slam to put the Shuckers up 6-0.
Biloxi did not stop there. After Knoxville got their run in the bottom of the sixth, Biloxi scored two more runs in the eighth inning, only for Knoxville again to respond with a solo shot by Ed Howard.
Biloxi put the nail in the coffin with three runs in the top of the ninth as they went on to win 11-2 and really halt any momentum Knoxville was building early in the series.
Game 4: MiLB Free Game of the Day
After an embarrassing loss on Thursday, Knoxville looked to right the ship Friday night with one of their best, Dawson Netz, on the mound.
Biloxi again got the scoring going first in the game, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning after Netz was called for a balk. The Smokies’ offense picked Netz up with two runs in the bottom of the frame, however, with an Owen Ayers RBI single and a sacrifice fly by Carter Trice.
Biloxi tied the game in the top of the fifth inning on an RBI double by Dylan O’Rae and then took the lead on an RBI groundout by Jacob Hurtubise. The back-and-forth continued as Trice drove in his second run of the day in the bottom of the fifth inning to make it 3-3.
Knoxville’s bullpen held the Shuckers scoreless for the final four innings of the game and gave Knoxville’s offense a chance to take the lead. In the bottom of the sixth, Jefferson Rojas hit a sacrifice fly to give Knoxville the lead again.
Still a close game and late, Knoxville decided to add some insurance in the bottom of the eighth inning. Ayers started it off with a two-RBI single through the left side to make it 6-3. Trice again drove in a run later that inning with another sacrifice fly.
Evan Taylor, who came on in the seventh inning, secured the final eight outs for the Smokies as they won again, 7-3.
Game 5: A Nailbitter To The End
Game five was very different from the rest of the games so far this week. Jace Beck, the Southern League Pitcher of the Month in June was on the mound for the Smokies facing off against Braylon Owens as he made his second start and appearance in Double-A for Biloxi.
Both pitchers cruised through the first two innings with no issues, but this time, it was Knoxville who got on the board first. With two outs and a runner on first, Jefferson Rojas roped a double into the left-center field gap to give Knoxville the 1-0 lead. That was until Adamczewski responded for Biloxi with a solo shot to interrupt Knoxville’s lead during a hot dog review.
Those were the only blemishes either starter allowed. Owens ended his night allowing just the one run on four hits and a walk while striking out five over six innings while Beck allowed one run on four hits and a walk as well, but struck out nine over five innings.
No more runs were scored until Biloxi took the lead in the top of the eighth inning on Blake Burke’s sacrifice fly to right field. Fischer added an insurance run with an RBI single and Knoxville was unable to rally in their final six outs as they lost 3-1.
Game 6: Going for the Series Win
With Knoxville leading the series 3-2, they were set up to win the final game of the series and take the series from their Southern League South counterpart, the Biloxi Shuckers.
Brody McCullough was making his first start for the Smokies since 2024 after finally rehabbing back from forearm surgery. The 26-year-old holds a career 3.18 ERA and 1.05 WHIP and injured himself against Chattanooga in 2024. McCullough would face off against Biloxi’s game one starter, Manuel Rodriguez
In similar fashion to game five, neither team provided much offense for their pitching at all. Biloxi returned to form and took the first lead of the game on a two-run home run by Burke to give Biloxi a 2-0 lead. The home run was Burke’s 20th of the season and etched himself into the history books as the first Biloxi Shucker to have a 20/20 season since Jackson Chourio did it in 2023.
Again, Knoxville could not find the answer to Biloxi’s pitching. For seven innings, Knoxville was held scoreless. In the top of the eighth inning, Fischer added another insurance run on his own solo home run to make it 3-0.
The Smokies finally got on the board in the bottom of the eighth inning on a two-out RBI single by Alex Ramirez.
By the end of the game, Biloxi had scored three runs on three hits while Knoxville scored one run on three hits. Biloxi’s closer Cameron Wagoner locked down the save for the Shuckers as they won 3-1 in just over two and a half hours.
Wrap Up
In a series that was highly anticipated from the jump, with multiple top prospects and powerful offenses on both sides, neither team disappointed. Knoxville used the same late-inning heroics they have used all year to win three games early in the series, but Biloxi’s relentless offense eventually figured out and got the better of Knoxville’s star-studded pitching staff.
In what was truly a preview of what is to come this September in the postseason, it is still hard to tell which will end up on top when it is all said and done.
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