Suns Steal Opener From BayBears
August 16, 2011 - Southern League (SL1)
Mobile BayBears News Release
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - After falling behind in the top of the seventh, the Jacksonville Suns rallied back in the bottom of the seventh to nudge the BayBears, 5-4, in the opener of a five-game series on Tuesday night from the Baseball Grounds.
Patrick Corbin tossed the BayBears (72-48, 34-16) into an early hole as Jacksonville (63-58, 26-25) grabbed a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first. Kevin Mattison reached on a bunt single with one out and scored all the way from first on a base hit by Luke Montz to put the Suns in front.
Daryle Ward lifted the BayBears to a 2-1 cushion in the top of the third as his two-out, two-run single kicked home Corbin and A.J. Pollock. Jacksonville quickly matched the BayBears at 2-2 in the home half of the third as Montz doubled and scored on a pair of wild pitches from Corbin.
Corbin settled in from there and kept the Suns off the scoreboard through the sixth inning as he scattered eight hits. Joey O'Gara was also strong for Jacksonville through six but had issues in the seventh as the BayBears went back on top as Marc Krauss blasted his 16th home run. Kyle Greene added a pinch-hit RBI single to make it 4-2.
Billy Spottiswood (4-3) was asked to keep the advantage in tact, but an error by Ryan Wheeler prolonged the bottom of the seventh while Jacksonville pushed in the door. Ben Lasater tied the game with a two-run single while Jake Smolinski broke the 4-4 score with a run-scoring knock of his own.
Kris Harvey (2-2) recorded the final out in the seventh to become the pitcher of record while Jhan Marinez and Chris Hatcher (S, 6) kept the BayBears away from crossing home plate one more time. Ollie Linton was stranded at third in the ninth when Hatcher fanned Ed Easley and Jake Elmore to end the contest.
The BayBears lead in the South Division by 8.5 games over the second-place Suns with their magic number to clinch a South Division second half crown at 12. The BayBears take on the Suns in the second of a five-game set from the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on Wednesday night at 6:05 central time. They return to Hank Aaron Stadium on Sunday, August 21 to host the Jackson Generals at 6:05 p.m., beginning the final homestand of the regular season. For tickets, which start at $5 for kids and $7 for adults, please call (251) 479-BEAR or visit www.mobilebaybears.com. You can also follow the BayBears all season long on Facebook and Twitter.
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Southern League Stories from August 16, 2011
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