Johnson, Coats push the Charlotte Knights past the Columbus Clippers
Erik Johnson’s seven strong innings helped cool off the International League’s wild-card leaders on Tuesday.
Johnson (10-8) allowed just one run on three hits over seven innings, Jason Coats clobbered his 15th home run of the season, and the Charlotte Knights beat the Columbus Clippers, 3-1, in the finale of their two-game series at Huntington Park. The Knights split the series and moved to 41/2 games behind the Clippers in the wild-card race.
After allowing just one run on Tuesday, Johnson lowered his ERA to an International League best 2.38 on the season. The 25-year-old right-hander also moved into a tie for second in the league in wins with 10, and increased his league-leading total of strikeouts to 129 after he fanned six batters in the finale.
After Coats’ home run in the fourth inning, Rob Brantly drove in Dayan Viciedo with a sacrifice fly, and Kevan Smith added an RBI single for a 3-0 lead.
The Knights return home to open a seven-game homestand at BB&T BallPark on Thursday beginning with a four-game set against the Indianapolis Indians.
2016 schedule released
The Charlotte Knights will open their All-Star season in 2016 on the road. The team will head up to Durham on April 7 for a four-game series against the Bulls. The Knights then will head to Norfolk, Va., for a three-game set against the Tides.
Charlotte will play its third home opener at BB&T BallPark on Thursday, April 14, with a four-game set against Durham, followed by a three-game set against Norfolk and a two-game series against the Gwinnett Braves.
New on the 2016 schedule: All Saturday home game will start at 6:05 p.m. instead of 7:05.
The Knights will kick off a seven-game homestand on July 4 against the Pawtucket Red Sox. The homestand leads into the Triple-A All-Star Game and festivities at the uptown ballpark July 11-13. The All-Star Game pitting the International League against the Pacific Coast League will be held on Wednesday, July 13, and will be broadcast live on MLB Network.
This story was originally published August 18, 2015 at 11:08 PM with the headline "Johnson, Coats push the Charlotte Knights past the Columbus Clippers."