After blanking the Fredericksburg Nationals in Game 2 on a pitching gem by Tanner McDougal and Aaron Combs, the FredNats tossed a masterpiece of their own in Game 3 to shut down the Ballers and clinch the Carolina League Championship.

Five of the Washington Nationals Top 30 prospects were starters in the Game 3 lineup. They’ve got some DUDES playing in their system, and one of them was the pitcher who earned the win in tonight’s matchup.

The Ballers’ league-leading offense was no match for FredNats starter Travis Sykora. It was an uphill battle from the get-go for Kanny as MLB’s No. 92 prospect was lights-out. The big 6´6´´ righthander was in control the moment he stepped on the mound, and the Ballers could not generate any type of rhythm against him at the plate. The 20-year-old exited after pitching five brilliant innings of one-hit ball with no walks and nine Ks. Jeral Perez had the only knock against Sykora. It was a long single to left that he hesitated on and then tried to turn into a double. Unfortunately, second baseman Kelvin Diaz easily threw him out at second.

Mason Moore, this year’s Round 15 White Sox draft pick, got the start in Game 3. In only his second appearance for the Ballers, the righty lasted two frames and surrendered the deciding runs in the second inning on a towering, two-run long ball to Brandon Pimentel. Mark McLaughlin and Clete Hartzog kept the Nats off the board in their combined three innings of work. The Freddies added one insurance tally in the sixth with an unearned run off Jake Peppers that they ultimately didn’t need.

Kanny’s offense had just one real opportunity to do some damage, and came up empty-handed. Facing reliever Robert Cranz in the sixth with two outs, Nathan Archer and Sam Antonacci worked free passes. George Wolkow stepped up to the plate with the chance to redeem himself after an embarrassing Game 2, where he earned himself a golden sombrero. Wolkow popped up to left on the first pitch, stranding the runners.

With the loss, the 2024 season for the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers is over. I’ll have a season recap for you soon. Thanks so much for following along; it’s been a fun one!

Please support our White Sox writing and podcasts by clicking this Patreon link.

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Photo/Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Facebook