West Tenn Diamond Jaxx Squeeze Past Birmingham Barons 3-1 - AA, Southern League

MLN - THE RAW FEED - www.mlntherawfeed.com – Birmingham, Ala. -- Prentice Redman's two-run home run in the sixth inning proved to be the difference as the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx squeezed past the Birmingham Barons by a 3-1 count Wednesday afternoon. The loss curtailed the Barons' five-game win streak and cut their lead to 3.5 games in the Southern League's South Division standings.

For the third time in the series, West Tenn (24-16) plated the game's first run, getting an RBI single from Redman in the third to claim a 1-0 advantage against Barons starter Carlos Torres (4-2). Birmingham (22-18) immediately evened the count on D-Jaxx starter Ryan Ketchner (3-0) with a bases-loaded, double-play grounder in the bottom of the inning. That would be the only run allowed by Ketchner, who recorded 7.2 innings of work, scattering six hits, walking one, and striking out three.

Torres pitched nearly as well for the Barons, scattering eight hits over a season-high seven innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out three, but the sixth-inning home run doomed him to the loss.

Victor Mercedes and Miguel Negron each recorded two-hit games for Birmingham, but Javier Castillo went 0-for-3 and saw his 10-game hitting streak come to an end.

The game was played in front of 8,223 fans, which is the largest crowd, home or away, to watch a Barons game this season.

Birmingham heads on the road and begins a 10-game road trip with a five-game series at Jacksonville. Left-hander Clayton Richard (2-5) will start for the Barons in Thursday's season-opener, and right-hander Mario Alvarez (0-4) will get the nod for the Suns.

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