April 20, 2022 – Southern League (SL) – Mississippi Braves News Release
PEARL, MS – In front of a crowd of 5,205 school kids at Trustmark Park, Jesse Franklin V went opposite field for his first Double-A home run, and the M-Braves scored the final three runs of the game. The comeback fell short as the Mississippi Braves lost 4-3 to the Chattanooga Lookouts on Wednesday afternoon.
The matinee game crowd comprised of students from schools in the local area, providing a great atmosphere in the M-Braves biggest crowd of the season to this point.
RHP AJ Puckett cruised through the first three innings before running into some trouble in the fourth. Puckett finished with 2 runs allowed, four hits, a walk and three strikeouts in 3.2 innings.
Down 4-0, Drew Lugbauer led off the fifth with the M-Braves first hit of the game. With two outs, Luke Waddell lined a double into the gap in left center to score Lugbauer from first base and make it 4-1.
Lugbauer recorded a base hit in eight of 11 games, and Waddell has four RBI this season. Franklin V hit his first Double-A home run in the sixth. The outfielder slugged a ball the other way that cleared the wall in left center in an impressive display of power. The 2-run homer made it 4-3.
In his first season in Double-A, Franklin V is hitting .220 with a home run, 3 RBI and two stolen bases over the first 11 games. Atlanta’s 2020 third round pick (97th overall) came into the season ranked the No. 11 prospect in the Atlanta organization by MLB Pipeline after a strong season in High-A Rome where he hit .244 with 24 home runs, 61 RBI and 19 stolen bases.
RHP Indigo Diaz, RHP Tyler Ferguson and LHP Jake Higginbotham all turned in a scoreless inning of relief.
The Lookouts retired the final nine M-Braves hitters to win 4-3.
The M-Braves return to action tomorrow at 6:35 PM CT for game three of the series against the Lookouts at Trustmark Park. RHP Darius Vines (0-1, 2.25) is scheduled to start against RHP Sam McWilliams (0-1, 2.25)….
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