SL1 Montgomery Biscuits

Biscuits beat Birmingham, 7-3, join Suns atop South

Published on August 22, 2007 under Southern League (SL1)
Montgomery Biscuits News Release


HOOVER, Ala. -- Gabriel Martinez went 4-for-5 with two home runs, launching the Montgomery Biscuits (34-23; 69-58) to a 7-3 win over the host Birmingham Barons (25-32; 57-70) and into a first place tie in the South Division with the Jacksonville Suns.

Exactly a year to the day after Montgomery tied Jacksonville for first place in the South en route to the franchise's first postseason berth and league championship, the Biscuits once again gained a share of first place thanks to the Suns falling at home to Mississippi, 3-1.

Only 13 games remain in the Southern League's regular season.

Victorious Biscuits starter Jake McGee (2-1) surrendered runs to three of the first four batters he faced in the game, capped off by a two-run homer from Shawn Garrett. But the reigning Southern League Pitcher of the Week bore down, striking out eight batters while holding the Barons to goose eggs on just two more hits through the rest of his six innings of work.

In the meanwhile, his teammates struck back.

Martinez pared the 3-0 Birmingham lead to one run with a two-run roundtripper off of Barons starting pitcher Wes Whisler in the sixth inning.

In the seventh, Josh Arhart drew a walk and Josh Asanovich singled to knock out Whisler (6-12). Reliever Adam Russell fanned Fernando Perez but uncorked a wild pitch to allow both runners to move up. Brooks Badeaux followed with a two-run double to give Montgomery the lead.

Martinez added an insurance run in the eighth against Russell with his second home run of the game, his fifteenth of the season. He is the first Biscuit to compile a multi-homer game since Jeremy Owens accomplished the feat on August 20, 2006, at Jacksonville.

The Biscuits closed out the scoring an inning later, with John Jaso's RBI triple and Martinez's RBI single off of Carlos Torres providing a 7-3 cushion.

Evan Meek and Nick DeBarr supplemented the offense with three scoreless innings of relief out of the Biscuits bullpen.

Martinez finished the game 4-for-6 with two runs scored and four RBIs, leading a 14-hit Montgomery attack.

In the losing effort, Barons second baseman Chris Getz went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and a pair of stolen bases.

The intrastate rivals play the third game of the five-game series on Wednesday night at Regions Park. Montgomery sends All-Star righthander Chris Mason (13-4, 2.54) to the mound against Birmingham lefthander Ryan Wing (6-5, 3.04). Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.

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Southern League Stories from August 22, 2007


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