Charlotte tied Jacksonville twice on Wednesday night at VyStar Ballpark. Both times, the Jumbo Shrimp pulled ahead again. The second time, the go-ahead run scored on a dropped fly ball — off the glove of the same player who five days earlier had delivered the best hit of the Knights' season.
Mario Camilletti — whose walk-off RBI single in the tenth inning against Memphis on April 10 remains the signature moment of Charlotte's young year — was in left field when Andrew Pintar lifted a fly ball in the bottom of the eighth with runners on first and second and one out. Camilletti dropped it. Brian Navarreto scored from second. Jacksonville held on for a 3-2 win on Jackie Robinson Day.
The Knights fell to 7-9.
Two Ties, No Lead
Charlotte did not lead at any point. LaMonte Wade Jr. pulled the Knights even in the fourth with a solo home run to left — his first of the season — to tie the score at 1-1. Jacksonville answered with two runs in the sixth to retake the lead at 2-1.
In the seventh, Camilletti reached base and Jacob Gonzalez drove him home with a two-out single to make it 2-2. It was the Knights' last run of the night.
The Eighth
Navarreto walked to lead off the Jacksonville eighth. Jesus Bastidas singled him to second. Pintar's fly ball to left was routine. Camilletti did not catch it. Navarreto scored standing up. Josh Ekness retired the side in order in the ninth for the save.
Charlotte finished 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Six hits, one error — the one that decided it.
Road Trip, Early Returns
Patrick Monteverde earned the win for Jacksonville, working five innings and allowing one earned run. Duncan Davitt took the loss out of the Charlotte bullpen, giving up one earned run in 2.1 innings with four strikeouts and three walks.
The loss was Charlotte's second straight in Jacksonville after Tuesday's 3-0 shutout. The Knights are two games into a six-game series against the defending Triple-A champions, and the offense has produced two runs in 18 innings. The Charlotte Knights return to VyStar Ballpark on Thursday.