SL1 Mississippi Braves

Ahmed Swipes Home to Steal Series from M-Braves 4-3

Published on May 27, 2013 under Southern League (SL1)
Mississippi Braves News Release


Mobile, AL - With two Mobile BayBears baserunners on the corners and two out in the ninth, Nick Ahmed took off for home with Justin Greene In a rundown. He slid in safely with a steal of home to give the BayBears a walkoff 4-3 win over the Mississippi Braves on Memorial Day.

With the game tied 3-3, Ahmed led off the ninth with a line drive single to left, working his way around on a sacrifice and a groundout. Braves reliever Ian Thomas intentionally walked Greene to get to a left-hander in Mike Freeman. After Freeman fouled the first pitch away, Greene served as a diversion, luring a pickoff throw from Thomas.

With Greene caught between first and second, Ahmed took off at the right moment and Barrett Kleinknecht's throw to the plate was just late.

The see-saw affair came to another thrilling finish a day after the BayBears (26-24) walked off on a Braves fielding error in the tenth on Sunday.

Aaron Northcraft pitched 4 2/3 innings for the Braves (29-21) in the no-decision, allowing six hits for three runs, only one of which was earned. Bradin Hagens also took a no-decision for the BayBears, pitching 5 2/3 innings with two runs on three hits.

Mobile took an early lead on two throwing errors by the Braves in the first. Ender Inciarte bunted his way on for a base hit and reached second after Northcraft threw the ball away. A few pitches later, Inciarte stole third and scored on a Braeden Schlehuber throwing error to make it 1-0 BayBears.

The game stayed 1-0 until the fifth, when Kyle Russell and Jaime Pedroza led off with back-to-back walks for the Braves. Russell tagged up and moved to third on a flyout, setting up a squeeze bunt by Northcraft to tie the game 1-1.

It didn't stay tied for long, as Mobile came back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, ending Northcraft's day early. Hagens smoked a one-out double and scored when a bunt base hit by Greene resulted in a second throwing error for Northcraft. Greene scored on a Freeman single to put the BayBears up 3-1.

Mississippi chipped away with a run in each of the sixth and seventh to tie the game again. In the sixth, Dan Brewer led off with a walk and Tommy La Stella drove him in with a double. Then in the seventh, Jaime Pedroza singled, moved up on a Kleinknecht sacrifice, and scored on a two-out Phil Gosselin single, tying the game 3-3.

Thomas (3-2) suffered the loss in relief. Blake Cooper (1-0) picked up the win for Mobile after pitching a scoreless ninth.

With Birmingham's 4-1 win over Jacksonville Monday afternoon, the Braves remain in first place in the South by 1 ½ games with 20 games remaining in the first half.

Trying to bounce back from three straight series losses, Mississippi will now head home for a five-game series with the Montgomery Biscuits beginning Tuesday night at 7:00 PM. Braves right-hander Cody Martin (2-2, 2.62) takes on right-hander Matt Buschmann (5-3, 3.02) for the Biscuits. Listen live to Kyle Tait on the call beginning at 6:30 PM with the "Countdown to First Pitch" on 103.9 WYAB and online at MississippiBraves.com.

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Southern League Stories from May 27, 2013


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