Brewers Minor League Link Report (9/22): Shuckers' Stars Propel Team to Brink of Southern League Title

[Ben Lepak]

Image courtesy of BrewerFanatic

The Shuckers flexed their might in Game Two of the Southern League Championship. Bishop Letson picked the perfect time for a career day. Andrew Fischer put an exclamation point on a historic season. Top prospect Jesus Made and ascending star Braylon Payne both had big contributions at the plate and on the base paths, sending Biloxi to a decisive Game Three.  

 

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Game Action:

Biloxi pre-game media notes
Biloxi 7, Rocket City (Angels) 0
Box Score

As always, we encourage you to check out the official writeup from the team: 

Letson’s Franchise Record-Tying 12 K’s Keeps Shuckers Alive with SLCS Game 2 Shutout - Biloxi Blanks Rocket City to Force Game 3 For Southern League Title

The Biloxi Shuckers’ stars shone the brightest when it mattered most, as the team charged to a resounding 7-0 victory in Game 2 of the Southern League Championship on Tuesday night. Biloxi and Rocket City will now square off in a winner-take-all championship finale on Wednesday night in Alabama.

Bishop Letson took the ball for the second time in the Southern League Playoffs, and pitched the game of his young career.  Rocket City hitters wanted no part of Letson, who dazzled the Trash Pandas for seven scoreless innings. Letson struck out a career-high 12 with no walks and just four hits allowed.

 

Before Letson totally locked in, Rocket City had a threat in the first. However, Josh Adamczewski gunned down a man at the plate (after an off-screen bobble) to keep the game scoreless.  Check out the play at the plate courtesy of the Shuckers’ X account:

The Angels’ top pitching prospect, Taylor Bremmer, the number two overall pick from the 2025 draft, was on the mound for Rocket City and he and Letson went pitch for pitch to start the game. However, Bremmer left after just five innings and that’s when the Shuckers finally broke through against the Rocket City bullpen.

Braylon Payne started the rally with a single, then took second on a pitch in the dirt that bounced in front of the plate. That opportunistic base-running led to the first run of the game when Jesus Made doubled down the line:

That brought Andrew Fischer to the plate and the slugger showed why he was named a finalist for MiLB Hitter of the Year by belting his 50^th total home run to center:

That would be just about all Letson needed as the 22-year-old righty mowed down the Trash Pandas and faced just one over the minimum after the first inning.  Here’s Letson’s 12^th strikeout, which tied a Biloxi franchise record:

The Shuckers did add on two runs in each of the final two frames.  Fischer struck again for two more on this double in the 8^th:

In the 9^th, Dylan O’Rae had a bunt single that brought in a run after a throwing error. O’Rae then scored on Made’s RBI single through the drawn-in infield.

Made finished with two hits, two runs, two RBI, and a steal. Payne had three hits, two runs and a steal. Adamczewski had the key outfield assist and was also on base three times with a hit and two walks. But it was once again Andrew Fischer who did the heavy lifting for Biloxi with his four RBI night. What will the slugger have in store for a grand finale on a historic season?

Wande Torrres came on for Letson and looked absolutely filthy. Only a missed strike three call on an 0-2 pitch to the final hitter of the game prevented Torres from striking out the final six men of the game. Torres and Letson combined to strike out 17 men, leaving the Trash Pandas looking totally bewildered at the plate. The big effort from the two also leaves the bullpen well-rested for Wednesday’s finale.

LHP J.D. Thompson (1-0, 1.80 in Southern League Playoffs) gets the ball for the decisive Game 3 on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35PM CT.

 

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On a personal note, I just want to say thank you for all of you who read these reports this season. I only discovered BrewerFanatic less than two years ago. Back then I thought I knew something about baseball, but this site, the forums, the writers here, and the other fans showed me I had a lot to learn yet.  I especially want to thank Jim Goulart and Brock Beauchamp for helping me along and giving me a chance to have a small taste of a lifelong dream to write about baseball.  I am grateful for this experience and the opportunity to broaden my writing ability, grow my ball knowledge, and deepen my appreciation the Brewers' system.

 

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Wednesday's Scoreboard Link Below - Plus, follow our "As-It-Happens" forum thread here. You'll find the Biloxi audio feed and the Rocket City video feed links within., both free.

 

Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores
Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth
Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth

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[Jake McKibbin]

Thanks for all the hard work this year Ben! These reports are a highlight for many and the effort that goes into them never goes unnoticed, or unappreciated

[Stealofhome]

Thank you Ben for the amount of time that clearly goes into each of these reports. What a grand and unique community that exists here due to the care and hard work of people like you.

[jay87shot]

Wow, Letson with the performance of the year. He had a very uneven season but he was able to get over 100 innings in with the playoffs and it's pretty easy to see a #3 type starter with that breaking stuff. Hardin, Letson, and Knoth all showed out pretty well towards the end of the year really helping easy some of the pitching concerns from most of the season.