White Sox Minor League Update: April 24, 2025

Farm system fireworks: Elko’s bombs, Galanie’s slam, Schultz’s strikes, and a Dash of no-hit history

Charlotte Knights 10, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 3 (Gameday box) (Statcast box)
The Charlotte Knights rebounded after being shut out yesterday by routing the RailRiders and improving their overall record to 9-15.

However, the game didn’t start so smoothly. Righthander Jairo Iriarte’s struggles continued as he surrendered an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. A leadoff solo shot got Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on the board quickly, followed by two unearned runs, one of which scored on a wild pitch.

Manager Sergio Santos didn’t waste any time making an early call to the pen, replacing Iriarte with Garrett Schoenle in the top of the second. Schoenle effectively steadied the ship, pitching two scoreless innings and allowing the Knights to regroup. The Charlotte armbarn remained dominant for the rest of the contest, with Fraser Ellard, Steve Karinchak, Adisyn Coffey, and Dan Altavilla combining for six shutout innings to blank the RailRiders.

Meanwhile, the Knights’ offense found its footing in the middle innings. After manufacturing a run in the third inning thanks to a walk, a single, and a force out, Charlotte erased the early deficit in the fourth. Tim Elko and Omar Narváez connected for back-to-back jacks, tying the game at 3-3.

The momentum fully swung in Charlotte’s favor in the sixth inning when the offense exploded for four runs. Elko launched his second dinger of the night, followed by oppo tacos from Tristan Gray and Dominic Fletcher, pushing the Knights ahead 7-3. They added three insurance runs in the eighth inning, providing more than enough cushion to secure the victory.

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Birmingham Barons 4, Rocket City Trash Pandas 2 (suspended) (Gameday box)
The weather delayed both the start and finish of this contest, and it is scheduled to resume tomorrow at 6:05 p.m. CST.

White Sox top prospect Noah Schultz set the tone with a dominant five innings, allowing no runs on just three hits while striking out five. No Trash Panda runner advanced beyond second base against the southpaw, who expertly navigated a two-on, one-out jam in the fourth with a timely 4-6-3 double play.

Birmingham broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth. Wilfred Veras singled, swiftly stole second, and advanced to third on a wild pitch before Michael Turner drove him in with a single. They added another run in the sixth when Veras walked, stole his second base of the night, and Jacob Gonzales brought him home with an RBI single.

Rocket City finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth against reliever Jarold Rosado, scoring two runs on a pair of singles, a walk, and a wild pitch. However, the Barons quickly responded in the top of the eighth. Consecutive walks to Veras and Gonzales were followed by an RBI double from Turner. Oscar Colás then drove in another run with a groundout, extending Birmingham’s lead to 4-2.

Unfortunately, the skies opened up again with one out in the bottom of the eighth, forcing an early end to the contest.

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Winston-Salem Dash 12, Rome Emperors 2 (Gameday box)
The Dash put on a pitching and hitting clinic tonight, steamrolling over the Emperors. From stellar pitching early on to an unrelenting attack at the plate, Winston-Salem dominated nearly every aspect of the game.

Tommy Vail set the tone early, keeping Rome’s bats silent and racking up four strikeouts. Frankeli Arias was solid on the mound, following Vail with three equally impressive frames. Arias also held the Emperors hitless and scoreless while striking out five.

The Dash offense got the ball rolling in the very first inning. Sam Antonacci was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a Ryan Galanie double, and then trotted home thanks to a sacrifice fly from Caden Connor. They added another run in the second when Arxy Hernández launched a solo home run, extending the lead to 2-0.

The scoring continued in the third. Antonacci was hit by another pitch (his second of the night), moved to second on a wild pitch, and Galanie followed with a single. Connor then delivered his second sacrifice fly of the game, bringing Antonacci across the plate and making it 3-0. The Dash offense showed no signs of slowing down in the middle innings. They tacked on two more runs in the fourth and another in the fifth, fueled by a barrage of extra-base hits. Jeral Perez, Alec Makarewicz, and Hernández knocked consecutive two-baggers, pushing the score to 6-0.

The seventh inning saw the Dash deliver the knockout blow. With two runners on and one out, Antonacci was hit by a pitch for the third time. Then, Galanie stepped up to the plate and crushed a grand slam, ballooning Winston-Salem’s lead to a commanding 11-0. They added one final run in the eighth inning when Hernández smacked his second double of the night and was driven home on a sacrifice fly from Weston Eberly.

Madison Jeffrey took the mound for the Dash in the eighth but struggled with his command. He surrendered two runs on three walks before Joseph Yabbour came in for the ninth. Yabbour navigated a somewhat shaky inning, which included a balk and hitting two batters, but ultimately got the final outs to secure the 16th combined no-hitter in Winston-Salem history.

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Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 6, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 1 (Game 1, 7 innings) (Gameday box) Christian Oppor delivered a stellar performance in Game 1. The 2023 fifth-round draft pick of the White Sox, making his third start, was sharp from the outset. Myrtle Beach managed to scratch a tally off of him in the third. Following a one-out triple, the Pelicans plated the runner on a sacrifice fly. However, that would be the only blemish on Oppor’s outing. The young righthander earned the win, pitching five strong innings and allowing just two hits and one run. He demonstrated impressive command, issuing only one walk while racking up eight strikeouts.

The Cannon Ballers’ offense provided ample support. In the top of the third, with one out, Nathan Archer slapped a single, promptly stole second base, and then scored on a triple by Caleb Bonemer.

A wild pitch by Pelicans’ starter Will Frisch then allowed Bonemer to scamper home, giving Kannapolis an early 2-0 lead. The Ballers added four more runs in the fourth, capitalizing on control issues from the Myrtle Beach pitching staff. The frame featured five walks, two hits, a wild pitch, and a balk.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans 10, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 2 (Game 2, 7 innings) (Gameday box)
What a difference an inning makes. Things were looking so promising for the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers early on against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, but then ... the fifth inning happened.

Starter Justin Sinibaldi was firing on all cylinders early, holding the Pelicans hitless through a solid 4 1⁄3 innings. But things certainly took a turn with one out in the bottom of the fifth. The southpaw loaded the bases and then surrendered an RBI single to Eriandys Ramon. Unfortunately, that was just the beginning of a truly disastrous frame for Kannapolis. The wheels completely fell off as the Pelicans sent a parade of hitters to the plate. The inning saw four different Ballers pitchers take the mound, and in total, Myrtle Beach racked up five hits, five walks, and even a balk in that single frame. When the dust finally settled, 10 runs (nine earned) had crossed the plate for Myrtle Beach.

Offensively, the Cannon Ballers actually got on the board first. In the top of the third, Braden Montgomery got things started with an RBI single, driving in the game’s first run. They added another in the top of the fourth when Ryan Burrowes laced an RBI double. At that point, with a 2-0 lead and Sinibaldi cruising, things looked pretty good for Kannapolis.

However, that 10-run fifth inning completely let the air out of the Ballers’ balloon. After such a devastating blow, the offense couldn’t muster any more runs and went quietly into the night.