SL1 Mississippi Braves

Comeback Kids: M-Braves Sink Smokies for Finale Win

Published on July 25, 2014 under Southern League (SL1)
Mississippi Braves News Release


Kodak, TN - Trailing 6-0 through two innings, the Mississippi Braves came clawing back for a 9-8 win over the Tennessee Smokies in Friday night's series finale at Smokies Park.

Mississippi (18-17; 57-47) jumped for five runs in the eighth off the Smokies' bullpen to seal the comeback. Entering the frame with an 8-4 deficit, Barrett Kleinknecht singled and moved to second on an error in centerfield. Braeden Schlehuber doubled down the right field line for an RBI and pulling it to 8-5.

After Gustavo Nunez walked, pinch-hitter Kyle Kubitza tripled down the first base line, his ninth of the season, driving in two to make it 8-7 Smokies (18-17; 51-53). Jose Peraza came up against Andrew McKirahan and chopped one to second, misplayed by new second baseman Stephen Bruno for an error and the tying run.

Peraza moved to second on a Kyle Wren bunt, stole third and scored the go-ahead run when catcher Luis Flores threw it down the left field line for a 9-8 Braves lead. It was Peraza's eighth steal in five days in Tennessee.

The Smokies built up an early lead on starter Mitch Atkins. Pin-Chieh Chen and Albert Almora led off the bottom of the first with singles and Addison Russell launched a three-run home run to start the scoring. Two batters later Christian Villanueva hit his first of two doubles and three hits in the game, and Flores drove him home with a single. Jonathan Mota doubled in Flores to cap a five-run frame.

Russell homered again in the second, a solo shot to extend it to a 6-0 lead. It was his second multi-home run game in six days for the Smokies, taking his season total to five since being acquired in early July from the Athletics organization.

Atkins settled in and didn't allow a run over the rest of his outing. He finished the day with five innings, six runs on eight hits, striking out one and walking one.

The Braves started the comeback in the fourth with a three-run frame. Rich Poythress singled and Cedric Hunter doubled to put two men in scoring position. David Rohm hit a sacrifice lineout to center and Poythress tagged and scored to make it 6-1. A Kleinknecht single put men at the corners, and Schlehuber drove in his first of two runs on the night with a groundout. Gustavo Nunez doubled in Kleinknecht and the Braves had cut the lead to 6-3.

In the fifth, Hunter blasted his second home run in three days and his 11th of the year. The solo shot made it 6-4.

Tennessee pulled away again with another run in the sixth and the seventh innings. Flores homered to left to lead off the sixth to make it 7-4, and Lars Anderson, Villanueva and Flores singled in the 7th, with the lattermost bringing in the 8th run.

Andrew Robinson (2-0) earned the win in relief, allowing two runs on five hits over two innings. Ryan Kelly pitched a scoreless, hitless ninth for his first save of the year. Andrew McKirahan (0-1) blew his first save and suffered his first loss, allowing one unearned run in the eighth, with four runs, three earned charged to Cates.

The win wrapped up a ten-game road trip for the Braves on which they went 4-6, and now Mississippi returns home for a ten-game homestand featuring the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Mobile BayBears for five each.

Right-hander Jason Hursh (8-6, 3.70) gets the nod in Saturday's homestand opener against Pensacola right-hander Ben Lively (0-4, 3.82), with first pitch set for 6:00 PM CT at Trustmark Park.

Listen live to Kyle Tait on the call beginning at 5:30 PM CT on 103.9 WYAB and online at MississippiBraves.com.

Check out the Mississippi Braves Statistics

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Southern League Stories from July 25, 2014


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