Carolina beats Birmingham
June 16, 2006 - Southern League (SL1)
Carolina Mudcats News Release
Birmingham, AL --- One out away from a disheartening loss, Carolina scored three times with two outs in the ninth inning to upset the Birmingham Barons 5-3 on Friday night at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
Five-year Baron Jonathan Aceves battled former batterymate Brian West (L, 2-5) for six pitches before doubling home the tying run on Carolina's potential final swing, then chugged around to score the leading run on a groundball single to center by JC Muniz as the Mudcats (32-37) clinched a resounding win. Brett Carroll, who doused a Baron runner at home plate on a centerfield throw in the sixth, followed with a run-scoring triple to push the lead to 5-3.
The Mudcats let a 2-1 lead slip away in the bottom of the eighth after third baseman Edgar Gonzalez threw away a force-attempt with two outs to allow Chris Getz to sprint in from first base to tie the game. Darren Blakely then singled home Corey Smith for a 3-2 Barons lead.
The Gonzalez miscue was trumped in the Carolina ninth, whose rally was started by a severe misplay by outfielders Michael Myers and Ricardo Nanita. Nanita apparently called off Myers approach on a flyball into right-center from Ryan Bear with one out and none on. When Myers halted, so did Nanita and the ball dropped in between for a double. The three-run, two-out Mudcats rally would start one batter later.
Jose Garcia earned a no-decision in his second Double-A start, pitching 6 1/3 innings, allowing only a first inning homer to Nanita. Christopher Young (W, 4-2), who stranded two Garcia baserunners in the seventh, was nearly charged with the loss for his two unearned runs in the eighth, but earned the victory with Carolina's charge.
Tyler Lumsden, the 2004 first-round pick of the White Sox, allowed two unearned runs over eight innings for the Barons (30-39).
The first half concludes on Saturday night with Adam Bostick (4-4, 4.31) starting against Corwin Malone (5-5, 4.17) at 8:05 PM ET.
Southern League Stories from June 16, 2006
- Suns lose heartbreaker to end winning streak at 15 - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Carolina beats Birmingham - Carolina Mudcats
- Braves Rally Brings Suns Streak to End - Mississippi Braves
- Biscuits slip past Mobile, 1-0 - Montgomery Biscuits
- Montgomery defeats BayBears - Mobile BayBears
- Curtis heads to Richmond, Almanzar joins M-Braves - Mississippi Braves
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