Smashing start for Charlotte Knights, White Sox prospect Zack Collins
The scouting report on Charlotte Knights’ catcher Zack Collins says his hitting is at least AAA-caliber, and that’s how it looked Thursday night.
In his first Class AAA game, Collins lashed a triple and two home runs, driving in five runs, in Charlotte’s 12-11 come-from-behind, opening night victory over the Durham Bulls.
The game drew a BB&T Ballpark crowd of 10,656 – largest for opening night in the six seasons of baseball at the uptown stadium.
Collins, 24, ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the Chicago White Sox organization, hit 15 home runs for Class AA Birmingham last season and won the Southern League’s Home Run Derby at midseason.
On Thursday night, his triple drove in two runs in the third inning, when the Knights erupted for five runs and erased an early 4-0 Durham lead. Collins then slammed a solo homer deep to right field in the fourth inning and launched a two-run shot in the sixth.
Danny Mendick, also promoted from Birmingham this season, slammed a three-run homer in the fourth inning, when the Knights scored four times.
Durham was in front before some fans in the packed house were even seated. Lead-off hitter Andrew Velasquez homered on a 3-2 count, and after Kean Wong reached on a bunt, Nate Lowe smacked a two-run homer for a 3-0 lead.
Charlotte led 12-8 after six innings, but the Bulls rallied again. They got within 12-11 in the eighth, with a runner on second and Jake Cronenworth at bat. Knights reliever Ian Hamilton got Cronenworth to hit a soft grounder down the first-base line for the third out.
And closer Juan Minaya entered in the ninth, allowing a hit but striking out two Bulls hitters.
Yet another of the players promoted from Birmingham, Zach Thompson, was the winning pitcher. He was the third of the five Knights hurlers in the game, and he threw no-hit ball over 1 1/3 innings. Minaya got the save.
3 who mattered
Zack Collins (Charlotte): The Knights catcher went 3-for-5, with a triple, two home runs, and five RBI.
Matt Skole (Charlotte): Charlotte’s first baseman went 2-for-4 and reached on a walk. He hit two doubles.
Andrew Velasquez (Durham): The Bulls’ leadoff hitter went 4-for-6, with a home run, and five RBI.
Worth mentioning
▪ Neither starting pitcher – Charlotte’s Donny Roach or Durham’s Jake Faria – lasted more than three innings. Roach gave up nine hits and five runs in three innings, and Faria was nicked for five hits and five runs in 2 2/3 innings.
▪ Bulls reliever Emilio Pagan had a cheering section at the ballpark. He played collegiately at Belmont Abbey and then at Gardner-Webb. Pagan pitched 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief.
▪ The Bulls are two-time defending International League champions. The last team to win the league title three straight years was Columbus (1979-81).
▪ Knights starter Donny Roach was 9-2 last season with Charlotte but left the team in early July to play with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan. He re-signed with the White Sox organization in the offseason.
▪ Roach, by the way, was a teammate at the College of Southern Nevada with the Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryce Harper. Both were drafted in 2010.
What’s next?
Game 2 of the series is at 7:04 p.m. Friday, with the season’s first postgame fireworks show to follow. Lefty Jordan Guerrero, 7-2 with Charlotte last season, will pitch for the Knights against Durham right-hander Andrew Moore.
This story was originally published April 5, 2019 at 12:11 AM.