Barons Drop Second-Straight to Suns 8-6
Published on May 2, 2012 under Southern League (SL1)
Birmingham Barons News Release
Birmingham, AL - The Birmingham Barons dropped their second game in a row to the Jacksonville Suns 8-5 Wednesday afternoon in front 3,965 fans at Regions Park.
In a back and forth affair, the Barons struck first as Drew Garcia continued his recent hot streak, driving in the Barons first run on a single in the third inning. Garcia had previously driven in all three of the Barons runs during the team's 4-3 loss to the Suns on Tuesday.
Barons' starter Nestor Molina worked his way around doubles in each of the first three innings, but couldn't escape trouble in the fifth. Dallas Poulk knocked in the Suns' first run with a base hit to center and scored later in the inning along with Jake Smolinski on a Kyle Jensen double, giving the Suns a 3-1 lead.
The Barons would come back to take the lead in the sixth with the aid of Suns starter Bryan Evans. Saladino worked a leadoff walk, went to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a fly ball, and scored on another wild pitch by Evans. Wade Korpi relieved and loaded the bases for Barons outfielder Jose Martinez. On the first pitch, Martinez grounded a single to left field, scoring Seth Loman and Corey Smith and giving the Barons a 4-3 lead.
The Suns would come back to tied the game in the seventh against Barons reliever Nevin Griffith as Shawn Bowman scored Smolinski with a soft single to right. Brandon Kloess relieved in the eighth and surrendered a sacrifice fly to Curt Smith to give the Suns a 5-4 lead.
The Barons refused to go quietly as Andy Wilkins crushed his team-leading fourth home run of the season in the bottom half of the eighth to tie the game at 5-5 and send the game to extra innings. The score remained tied until the 12th when the Suns struck for three runs against Barons reliever Matt Wickswat (1-2, 13.50), giving them an 8-5 lead they would not relinquish.
The loss was the second-straight for the Barons after five consecutive wins against the Montgomery Biscuits. The loss went to Wickswat as the Barons fell to 14-13 on the season. Barons' hitters combined to strikeout a season-high 17 times on the day. The Barons will look to rebound tomorrow night as LHP Pedro Hernandez (2- 1, 3.24) takes the hill against RHP Zach Neal (2-2, 2.16). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.
Southern League Stories from May 2, 2012
- Sixth Straight Win for Stars - Huntsville Stars
- Suns Beat Barons 8-6 in 12 Innings - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Blue Wahoos and Generals Postponed, Two Games Thursday - Pensacola Blue Wahoos
- Generals-Wahoos Postponed Wednesday Night - Jackson Generals
- Brett Cammons activated and sent to Lynchburg; Emerson Landoni to Lynchburg - Mississippi Braves
- Offense Shines in 9-5 Win over Biscuits Wednesday - Knoxville Smokies
- Barons Drop Second-Straight to Suns 8-6 - Birmingham Barons
- BayBears vs. Braves Suspended Due to Rain - Mobile BayBears
- M-Braves and BayBears Suspended in Second Inning - Mississippi Braves
- Smokies Cruise by Biscuits to Even Series - Montgomery Biscuits
- Suns Battle the BayBears for First Place Through Thursday - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Duarte Placed on DL; Poveda Reinstated to Jacksonville - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Flores Added To Smokies Roster Wednesday - Knoxville Smokies
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
