White Sox Minor League Update: April 30, 2025

The Knights won a thriller, and the affiliates went 4-0 in a great day for the farm system

Charlotte Knights 9, Norfolk Tides 8 (Statcast box)
The Knights (14-15) fell behind early, but they did not go away during this thrilling victory over the Tides (9-19).

It was not a day to remember for starting pitcher Tyler Schweitzer, who allowed six runs (all earned) in four innings. The Tides took him deep three times, and Schweitzer only had one strikeout. When Schweitzer left the game, Norfolk had a 6-1 lead. The Knights scored their first run on a Tristan Gray single that drove in Omar Narváez, who had doubled to lead off the second.

The score remained 6-1 until the fifth, when Oscar Colás drew a walk with one out. Two batters later, Josh Rojas drove Colás in with a double to trim the deficit to four. Then, in the sixth, the Knights broke through with a huge inning. Bryan Ramos drew a leadoff walk, and with one out, Gray picked up another RBI by doubling him in. Corey Julks hit a soft grounder for the second out, but Colás extended the inning with another walk. From there, Dominic Fletcher did something good.

Just like that, we were back to square one, as the game was tied up. That was Fletcher’s fifth homer, and his season OPS is an impressive .929.

In the seventh, Samuel Basallo, MLB Pipeline’s No. 12 overall prospect, crushed a solo homer off reliever Garrett Schoenle. Schoenle recovered and escaped without allowing any more runs, but once again, Norfolk was ahead.

That one-run lead did not last long. Tim Elko (no, sorry, not a home run this time) drew a leadoff walk, and Narváez followed with a single. Although Ramos struck out, Kyle Teel came through in a clutch spot to tie the game with a single.

In the eighth, for the second straight inning, a new Knights reliever took over on the mound and immediately allowed a solo homer. This time, it was Jordyn Adams who homered off James Karinchak to make the score 8-7.

Once again, Norfolk’s one-run lead did not last long. Corey Julks led off the bottom of the eighth with a double, and after a ground out by Colás, Fletcher delivered another big hit.

In the ninth, Justin Anderson took over on the mound for the Knights, and he retired all three batters he faced to preserve the tie. That set the stage for an exciting bottom of the ninth, when Ramos and Teel hit back-to-back singles to open the frame. A nice bunt by Gray resulted in the bases becoming loaded with no outs. Then, Julks stepped up to the plate.

Wow, what a game. The Knights have won six consecutive games, and they are nearly back up to .500 overall.

Tim Elko watch: I did not mention Elko’s name much, but he really deserves a shoutout, as he reached base safely in four out of his five plate appearances. Elko finished with two singles, a walk, a hit by pitch, and a strikeout. This strong performance boosted Elko’s OPS to 1.159. Even when Elko is not launching homers, which he has done nine times already, he is finding ways to make a positive impact.

---

Birmingham Barons 4, Pensacola Blue Wahoos 2
Led by a quality start by star prospect Noah Schultz, the Barons (12-10) evened up the series against Pensacola (16-7).

The Barons opened the scoring in the bottom of the second, when Ryan Galanie led off with a double. With one out, Caden Connor sliced a double of his own to give Birmingham a 1-0 lead.

The Blue Wahoos did not go away immediately, as they did manage to scratch out two runs against Schultz. One of those runs scored in the third, when Schultz allowed a triple to Shane Sasaki and a double to Kemp Alderman. Then, in the fourth, Pensacola drew a pair of walks, and Jared Serna drove in a run with a single to make the score 2-1.

In the bottom of the fourth, however, the Barons retook the lead and did not look back. Mario Camilletti led off with a single, and he advanced to second on an error. Connor came through with another RBI, this time with a single to drive in Camilletti. Jason Matthews and Rikuu Nishida drew back-to-back walks, and William Bergolla drove in the go-ahead run with a single.

The score remained 3-2 until the bottom of the seventh, when Bergolla led off with a double, and with one out, Galanie picked up another double. That hit resulted in an insurance run, and the Barons held on for a 4-2 victory.

Schultz lasted six innings and picked up six strikeouts while issuing two walks. Overall, Schultz was pretty efficient, only needing 92 pitches to make it through six frames (15.3 pitches per inning). Schultz’s ERA fell slightly, to 3.42, and his FIP is slightly lower, as he is making some nice progress in Birmingham.

---

Winston-Salem Dash 6, Greensboro Grasshoppers 3
The Dash (9-14) collected 14 hits en route to another victory over the Grasshoppers (15-8). Every hitter in Winston-Salem’s lineup picked up at least one hit.

With one out in the top of the third, Sam Antonacci set the table with his second triple of the year. After a strikeout, Braden Montgomery, who was promoted on Sunday, delivered in the clutch with an RBI double. That gave the Dash a 1-0 lead, and they led for the remainder of the game.

The Dash padded their lead in the fourth with a big inning. Jordan Sprinkle and Wes Kath hit back-to-back doubles to open the frame, and Luis Pineda followed with an RBI single. Then, with two outs, second baseman Jeral Perez launched his sixth homer of the season to make the score 5-0. Perez also crushed a homer in the seventh to add an insurance run, and after this terrific game, he has a .911 OPS.

Meanwhile, starter Tommy Vail pitched well during his four innings of work. Vail only allowed one run on one hit (a solo home run), and he picked up five strikeouts. The bullpen also got the job done, allowing two runs in five innings. Reliever Clete Hartzog, 23, got the save after retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth, and his ERA stands at 0.96. It is still early, but opposing hitters are slashing only .121/.216/.152 against Hartzog.

---

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 4, Augusta GreenJackets 1
A fantastic overall pitching performance allowed the Cannon Ballers (13-10) to beat the GreenJackets (13-10) and take a 2-0 series lead.

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the third, when the Cannon Ballers put a crooked number on the board. With one out, Arnold Prado reached on an error, and Caleb Bonemer, the very next batter, did the same. If the GreenJackets had made these plays successfully, the inning would have been over, but the frame continued. Abraham Núñez drove in the first run of the game with a single, and Javier Mogollón picked up an even bigger hit with a two-run single.

In the fourth, Calvin Harris set the table with a leadoff double, and two batters later, Jorge Corona drove him in with a double of his own. The Cannon Ballers did not score again, but they did not have to.

Starter Christian Oppor pitched five scoreless innings, and he only allowed one hit, which was a single. Oppor also racked up six strikeouts and was efficient, only needing 69 pitches (13.8 pitches per inning). The bullpen was reliable, only allowing one run on one hit in four innings.