Friday night at Truist Field, the Charlotte Knights had a seven-run lead and all the comfort in the world. Then Memphis scored seven in the seventh inning and turned a ballgame into an event.
The Knights beat the Memphis Redbirds 9-8 in ten innings, with Mario Camilletti delivering a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the tenth to end it. The series is tied 2-2. Truist Field got loud in a way that uptown Charlotte has been needing all week.
Building the Lead
Charlotte was methodical through six innings. Dru Baker got it started in the second with an RBI single. Oliver Dunn made it 2-0 with a home run in the third. The sixth inning was where Charlotte put it away — or so it looked: Michael Turner and LaMonte Wade Jr. both delivered RBI base hits, and Camilletti and Sam Antonacci each worked bases-loaded walks. Seven-nothing. The park was easy.
Then Memphis came to bat.
The Seventh Inning
Memphis had entered this series as the hottest team in professional baseball — the first club to 10 wins in the 2026 season, off what the organization is already calling a franchise-best start. They hadn't gotten there by going away quietly. Seven runs in the seventh inning. SEVEN. Charlotte's bullpen got roughed up, the lead evaporated, and the game was tied heading into the late innings.
That's the kind of inning that breaks a team. It did not break this one.
Camilletti
The game stayed deadlocked into extra innings. Mario Camilletti — who had already worked a bases-loaded walk in the sixth — stepped up in the bottom of the tenth with two outs, runners on, and the moment on the line. He delivered. Walk-off RBI single. Game over.
Memphis came into this week with the best record in the sport, and they've been a genuine problem all series. They won Game One 9-4. Lost Game Two when Noah Schultz went out and handled things. Won Game Three 4-1 Thursday to take the series lead again. Friday night, Charlotte answered.
What's Left
Series tied 2-2. Two games remain on the homestand — Saturday at 6:05 PM and Sunday at 1:05 PM. This is Memphis's only visit to Truist Field in 2026. Win two and Charlotte takes the series. Either way, Friday night was the one that reminded everybody what this ballpark can feel like when the game means something.
Camilletti. Tenth inning. Walk-off. That's the Knight.