SL1 Knoxville Smokies

Smokies Nearly No-Hit, Barons Win in 10

Published on July 20, 2003 under Southern League (SL1)
Knoxville Smokies News Release


Birmingham, Ala.- Tommy Nicholson laced a 10th inning single scoring Juan Piniella to give Birmingham (15-13, 48-48) a 2-1 win over Tennessee (20-9, 55-44) Sunday night in the third game of a four game series.

The Smokies avoided a no-hitter and a shutout on the same pitch with two outs in the seventh inning as Bucky Jacobsen homered against Barons starter Byeong An for Tennessee's lone run. Jacobsen's seventh inning home run was his 20th of the year.

Birminham's Scott Dunn (W, 5-3) struck out the first four batters he faced and pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win.

Juan Piniella singled with one out in the tenth against Josh Axelson (L, 0-1). Jeremy Reed was walked on four pitches before Nicholson delivered the game winner, snapping the Barons' three game losing streak.

Juan Pena allowed one unearned run over 7 1/3 innings but didn't figure in the decision for Tennessee. Josh Kinney worked out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth by striking out Danny Sandoval to send the game into extra innings.

Birmingham opened the scoring in the fourth on a two-out triple by Scott Bikowski. Carlos Maldonado followed with a ground ball to short that John Nelson played into Tennessee's third error of the game, scoring Bikowski.

Tennessee and Birmingham meet in the series finale Monday night at 8:00 p.m. ET. Nick Stocks (8-4, 4.17) will start for the Smokies against Birmingham's Tetsu Yofu (7-5, 3.12).

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Southern League Stories from July 20, 2003


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