SL1 Montgomery Biscuits

Barons Ride Mercedes to 7-6 Win Over Biscuits in 13

Published on July 3, 2007 under Southern League (SL1)
Montgomery Biscuits News Release


MONTGOMERY -- Victor Mercedes played hero three times over for the Birmingham Barons (5-11, 37-49), lining a game-tying RBI double in the eighth inning and a go-ahead RBI double in the thirteenth and then spearing a crucial line drive in the bottom of the thirteenth to preserve a 7-6 victory over the Montgomery Biscuits (11-5, 46-40) before 7,325 at Riverwalk Stadium.

The two teams combined for 31 base hits and 25 runners left on base in the extra-innings affair, which gave the Barons a split of the four-game series and knocked the Biscuits out of a first-place tie with the Jacksonville Suns in the South Division.

Donny Lucy started the game-winning rally for Birmingham by dropping down a bunt single against Jeremy Flanagan (4-3), the sixth Montgomery pitcher of the game. Adam Shabala sacrificed Lucy to second base, where Mercedes promptly delivered him with a line drive to the gap in left-center.

In the bottom of the inning, Barons reliever Oneli Perez (3-2) set down Erold Andrus on a fly ball to right field before watching Fernando Perez rope a 3-2 pitch toward the same left-center gap. Mercedes snagged the ball with a desperate leap from his shortstop position, robbing the speedy Perez of extra-bases. Brooks Badeaux followed with what would have been a game-tying double to left-center. As it was, it merely gave the Biscuits a runner in scoring position. Badeaux watched helplessly as Reid Brignac skied out to centerfield to end the game.

The Biscuits built a 6-1 lead after six innings behind another strong outing from Montgomery starter Mike Prochaska, though his streak of consecutive scoreless innings was halted at 22 by Kenny Perez's run-scoring single in the second.

After Prochaska exited, Birmingham leapt on Evan Meek, scoring four runs on four hits and two walks to cut the deficit to 6-5. Biscuits manager Billy Gardner, Jr., went to his bullpen again, bringing on Nick DeBarr to hold the lead.

In the eighth, DeBarr yielded a two-out single to Shabala and was pulled in favor of All-Star closer Dale Thayer, who had blown only one save in 16 chances. Mercedes quickly doubled that stat, lacing a double between leftfielder Andrus and centerfielder Perez to plate Shabala with the game-tying run.

In the losing effort, Montgomery third baseman Evan Longoria went 4-for-6 with four singles and Josh Asanovich added his second home run of the season before he was pulled due to cramping.

The Biscuits next head out on the road, beginning a four-game series at Mobile on Wednesday night. The first game will see Montgomery right-hander Richard De Los Santos (1-2, 2.41) duel with BayBears southpaw Greg Smith (5-3, 3.11).

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Southern League Stories from July 3, 2007


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