Bird Goes Career-High Six Innings; Earns Win
August 6, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Asheville Tourists News Release
ASHEVILLE - The Asheville Tourists wrapped up their seven-game homestand with an impressive 5-2 victory over the Lakewood BlueClaws on Tuesday night. Ironically, the Tourists also finished their homestand with five wins to just two defeats. The Tourists plated the game's final five runs after falling behind 2-0.
Jake Bird made his fourth start of the season and pitched a career-high six innings. The Tourists righty allowed only four hits and two runs to notch his team-leading seventh win of the season. Bird gave up one run on a two-out double in the third inning and a second on a solo Home Run in the fifth. The Home Run hit off Jake was the first long ball he allowed in over 77 innings pitched this season.
The deficit did not faze the Tourists. Asheville loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and Coco Montes, the team leader in RBI, cleared the bases with a triple to the right field corner. That gave Asheville a 3-2 lead which Bird and company refused to relinquish. Bird ended his day with a strikeout in the sixth inning when the BlueClaws had two runners aboard.
Trent Fennell then pitched out of a jam in the top of the seventh inning to keep the Tourists in front. Asheville padded their lead in the bottom of the seventh thanks to back-to-back solo Home Runs by Niko Decolati and Kyle Datres.
Jacob Bosiokovic cleaned up in the bottom of the eighth with a pair of strikeouts and PJ Poulin earned his eighth save of the season with a shutdown final inning. The win netted the Tourists a series split with the BlueClaws. Asheville has lost only one series since June 27.
Following Wednesday's off day Asheville will head to Greensboro to open a four-game series with the Grasshoppers. Thursday's first pitch is scheduled for 7:00pm.
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