Waldrep Turns in Quality Start, But Biscuits Walk-off Mississippi

April 26, 2024 – Southern League (SL)
Mississippi Braves News Release

Mississippi Braves’ Hurston Waldrep in action
(Mississippi Braves)

MONTGOMERY, AL – Hurston Waldrep battled through 6.0 innings of one-run baseball on Friday night, but the Misssippi Braves were walked off by the Montgomery Biscuits, 3-2, evening the series at 1-1. Heriberto Hernandez homered, and then Jalen Battles singled home Nick Schnell to cap off the two-run bottom of the ninth inning.

Waldrep was coming off the shortened complete game on Saturday in Birmingham, and the 2023 first-round pick by Atlanta matched the performance with 6.0 innings, one run, four walks, and five strikeouts and exited the game with Mississippi (6-13) up 2-1. It was the most picturesque performance with the four walks and 45 of 88 pitches strikes, but it worked for the 22-year-old right-hander. He was in line to earn his first professional win in his seventh Double-A start, but it wasn’t meant to be.

The Biscuits (10-9) struck first with a run in the bottom of the third inning. Rays’ second-ranked prospect Carson Williams smacked his league-leading eighth double down the left field line to bring home Matthew Dyer to make it 1-0. The Biscuits loaded the bases with no one out in the fourth inning, but Waldrep got a fielder’s choice, put out at the plate, and strikeout, and Hernandez was caught by Drake Baldwin trying to score on a ball that was blocked to the right of home plate.

Montgomery starter Ben Peoples was rolling through four shutout innings until Bryson Horne hit a 100 mph line drive off of his right leg, causing him to exit the game. The Braves took advantage of reliever Jeff Belge. After a Justin Dean single and Geraldo Quintero stolen base, Nacho Alvarez Jr. gave Mississippi a 2-1 lead with a two-run single.

Hayden Harris was electric again out of the M-Braves bullpen, striking out three over 2.0 scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth behind Waldrep.

In a rematch of Tuesday’s ninth inning, Hernandez squared off against reliever Trey Riley (L, 0-2). Hernandez homered on Tuesday and homered again on Friday night down the left-field line to tie the game. Schnell drew a walk, and Willy Vasquez doubled to bring the winning run to third base. Battles bounced a single past the infield to score the winning run.

Alvarez was 2-for-4, upping his on-base streak to 11 games. Baldwin, with two walks, extended his streak to 11, also. Quintero picked up his team-leading 10th stolen base.

With the series even at…