BayBears Slip in 9th to Smokies
August 28, 2009 - Southern League (SL1)
Mobile BayBears News Release
KODAK, Tenn. - A 2-1 advantage entering the bottom of the ninth inning wallowed away as the Tennessee Smokies grabbed a pair of runs to beat the BayBears 3-2 on Friday night at Smokies Park.
Reid Mahon (5-2), reassigned to the BayBears (62-69, 25-36) from Triple-A Reno just before the contest, surrendered a lead-off single to Ty Wright in the ninth but got Blake Lalli to foul out. After a long at-bat, Tyler Colvin doubled to left-center field while Wright raced toward the plate. Mark Hallberg, however, dropped the relay throw, allowing Wright to score without a play.
Doug Deeds was next against Mahon as he came off the bench and bounced a ball fair down the first base line to score Colvin, setting off a raucous celebration for the Smokies (65-66, 33-28) near the first base bag.
The BayBears took the lead with a comeback of their own after falling behind by a run early. In the sixth, Barry Enright pinch-hit for Bryan Augenstein and got whacked in the upper back with a 3-2 fastball from Chris Carpenter. With two away, Pedro Ciriaco singled in front of a Ricardo Sosa double which tied the score at 1-1. Ciriaco was gunned down at home on the play to end the inning.
More fortunes for the BayBears occurred in the seventh against Alex Maestri as he coughed up a two-out double to Orlando Mercado before intentionally walking Pete Clifford to get to relief pitcher Kyler Newby. The problem for Maestri was that he then walked Newby to load the bases, and Jayson Ruhlman walked Evan Frey to force in the go-ahead run.
Newby was solid on the bump in three scoreless innings, replacing Augenstein who worked five and allowed just a run on five hits. Carpenter tossed six for the Smokies and also gave up a run on five knocks.
David Cales (2-0) tossed the final two frames for the Smokies, hanging a pair of zeroes to keep the game tight prior to the Tennessee rally in the bottom of the ninth.
The Mobile BayBears have sent nearly 100 players to the major leagues. They'll play game two of their five-game set with the Smokies on Saturday night at 6:15 central time with lefty Tom Layne (0-2, 4.09) getting the start. The BayBears return to Mobile for their final homestand on Thursday, September 3 as they host the Montgomery Biscuits at 7:05 p.m. For Hank Aaron Stadium tickets, call (251) 479-BEAR or log on to www.mobilebaybears.com.
Southern League Stories from August 28, 2009
- Walk-off single gives Smokies 3-2 win Friday night - Knoxville Smokies
- M-Braves walk-off with 5-4 victory over Jaxx - Jackson Generals
- Braves Walk Off in Opener - Mississippi Braves
- Stars Break Out the Bats to Beat Birmingham - Huntsville Stars
- Montgomery wins over Carolina - Carolina Mudcats
- Biscuits, Rodriguez Claim Pitcher's Duel in Opener, 3-1 - Montgomery Biscuits
- BayBears Slip in 9th to Smokies - Mobile BayBears
- Lookouts Take Opener from Suns - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Mahon Returns to BayBears, Reyes on Leave - Mobile BayBears
- Cochran Heads up to Louisville - Carolina Mudcats
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.
