Right-handed pitcher Tanner Gillis ties career high of seven strikeouts 4-2 Biloxi Shuckers win
The Biloxi Shuckers hosted the Montgomery Biscuits in a double header Thursday night. Making the start for Biloxi, right-hander Tanner Gillis set the tone early. Gillis retired the first three batters he faced, recording back-to-back strikeouts before inducing a groundout to end the top of the first inning.
The Shuckers’ offense immediately backed him up in the bottom half of the frame. Dylan O’Rae got things started with a leadoff walk and quickly moved into scoring position after stealing second base. Moments later, Blake Burke delivered the game’s first big hit, ripping a ball down the first-base line for a stand-up triple that easily scored O’Rae and gave Biloxi a 1-0 lead. Burke didn’t have to wait long to cross the plate himself. With one out, Mike Boeve dropped a ball into shallow left field that Montgomery could not corral, allowing Burke to score and extend the lead to 2-0. The Shuckers continued to apply pressure later in the inning. Darrien Miller lifted a deep fly ball to right field, allowing Boeve to tag up and score from third to make it 3-0. Biloxi capped off its four-run first inning when Eric Brown Jr. lined a ball over the third baseman’s head and into the left-field corner. Matthew Wood came around to score easily, pushing the advantage to 4-0. Brown attempted to stretch the hit into a double and was narrowly thrown out, but the damage had already been done.
Montgomery answered with two runs in the top of the third inning, trimming the deficit to 4-2. However, Gillis remained in control on the mound, limiting further damage and keeping the Biscuits off the scoreboard the rest of the way. The right-hander finished with seven strikeouts and delivered a quality performance that helped preserve Biloxi’s early lead. The Biloxi Shuckers won game one of the day with a final score of 4-2. The Biscuits forced a split soon after with a 4-3 win on their own. The Shuckers and Biscuits will meet again Friday night with a 6:35pm first pitch.
