MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Memphis Redbirds capped off a memorable weekend the only way possible, as they took down the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Triple-A affiliate, Miami Marlins), 2-1, on a sunny and warm Fourth of July Sunday at AutoZone Park. 8,076 fans packed the park and cheered.
Connor Thomas was the story of the night for Memphis (21-33), as the lefthanded starter turned in another outstanding outing. The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket was in complete command, allowing just one hit and one walk in seven scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Thomas retired the final nine batters he faced in order. Combined with his start on Tuesday against Jacksonville (29-23), he combined to allow just one run in 12.0 innings this week with three walks and nine strikeouts.
Buoyed by Thomas’ brilliance on the mound, the ‘Birds backed him up at the plate with some early run support. Conner Capel lined an opposite-field home run over the fence in the bottom of the second, and Ali Sánchez smacked a double off of the center-field wallk in the fourth to score Juan Yepez. Sánchez finished the night 2-4 and went 9-16 during the series.
The Jumbo Shrimp scored a lone run in the eighth to make it 2-1 and set the stage for a tense ninth inning. Connor Jones came on to lock down the game and earn a save, but he gave up a leadoff single to make the situation all the more nerve-wracking. However, after that, the former Virginia Cavalier was in command. He induced a fielder’s choice groundout, a lineout and a groundout to clinch the win and give Memphis back-to-back wins on Fourth of July weekend.
