Smokies Win Fourth Straight in 5-3 Victory
July 8, 2023 - Southern League (SL)
Knoxville Smokies News Release
KODAK, Tenn- The Tennessee Smokies hang on late to beat the Birmingham Barons 5-3 in a three hour and nine minute game in front of a crowd of 6,618. The Smokies and Barons went back and forth until Tennessee pulled away in the sixth inning. The bullpen tossed four innings, allowing only one run and striking out four to preserve the victory.
The Smokies cashed in early in the first inning with a double off the wall by Owen Caissie to score Levi Jordan and take an early 1-0 lead. The Smokies left the bases loaded in the first inning, while only scoring one run. The Barons took their first lead of the night in the third inning when Ben Norman singled, followed by an Alsander Womack fielder's choice to make it 2-1 Barons.
Tennessee tied the game in the fourth inning when Scott McKeon doubled down the left field line to score Casey Opitz and tie the game up at two apiece. Later in the inning, McKeon scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-2 Tennessee. The Smokies added on to the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Levi Jordan hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2. Later in the sixth, Cole Roederer hit a solo homerun to deep right center field to take a 5-2 lead.
With the bases loaded in the eighth inning, Womack walked to score a run for the Barons to make it 5-3. The next batter, Bryan Ramos, flew out to center field to end the threat with the bases loaded and keep it at a 5-3 Smokies lead. In the ninth inning, the Barons had two on with two outs in the inning, until Cayne Ueckert induced a groundout to win the ballgame 5-3. The Smokies have now won four straight against Birmingham.
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