Shuckers drop weather-shortened opener to Mississippi Braves

PEARL, Miss. (WLOX) – The Biloxi Shuckers (2-2) trailed 2-0 in the top of the eighth inning when a tornado warning and severe weather in the surrounding area ended the game early against the Mississippi Braves (1-3) at Trustmark Park on Tuesday night.

Shuckers starter TJ Shook and M-Braves starter JJ Niekro locked horns early, with each tossing four scoreless innings. For Shook, he retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced, including three strikeouts. In the fourth, he worked around a lead-off walk and a Cade Bunnell double with two flyouts and a strikeout for a scoreless frame.

Niekro worked around three hits and a walk in the first four innings.

In the fifth, the M-Braves tallied their first run of the night with back-to-back doubles from Justin Dean and Cal Conley, giving Mississippi a 1-0 lead. They added on another run in the seventh with an RBI single from Dean. Niekro and reliever Jonathan Hughes limited the Shuckers to three hits on the night.

Niekro (1-0) earned the win while Shook (0-1) took the loss despite allowing one run over 4.2 innings.

The Shuckers will play game two of the series on Wednesday at 11:05 a.m. at Trustmark Park. Lefty Nate Peterson is set to make his Double-A debut for the Shuckers while Drew Parrish starts for the M-Braves.

Fans can listen live on Biloxi Shuckers Radio Network with pregame coverage beginning at 10:45 p.m. from the Ground Zero Blues Club Broadcast Booth.

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