Birmingham Barons Rally Late Again to Steal 5-4 Victory from the Huntsville Stars

MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com – Huntsville, Ala. -- For the sixth straight game, the Barons used a late rally to steal a win, this time getting two ninth-inning runs to shock the Huntsville Stars by a 5-4 count Friday night. The win, the team's season-best sixth in a row, pushed the Barons' lead to six games in the Southern League's South Division.

With Birmingham (28-20) trailing 4-3, Victor Mercedes led the ninth inning off with a single, his third hit of the night. Cole Armstrong then followed with a game-tying RBI double. Pinch runner Stefan Gartrell moved to third on an infield single and then scored the winning run on a ground ball misplayed by Huntsville (30-18) first baseman Matt LaPorta. The Barons' John Lujan struck out two batters in the ninth to earn his second save in three games.

For the third time in the series, the Barons scored first only to lose the lead. In the opening frame, Mercedes followed a double and two walks with a double of his own, driving in a pair of runs and giving Birmingham a 2-0 advantage. Barons starter Justin Cassel did not allow a hit until the fourth inning, when he surrendered four of them in a row, including a two-run home run by LaPorta, that gave the Stars a 3-2 lead. Cassel did not allow another run before he exited after the sixth and was let off the hook for the loss when Mercedes rapped a game-tying RBI single in the top of that inningspan class="full-image-float-right">

Huntsville used an RBI double off reliever Joe Torres in the seventh to reclaim a one-run lead at 3-2. But Fernando Hernandez (3-0) then tossed 1.2 scoreless innings out of the Birmingham bullpen to hold the Stars at bay and set the stage for the Barons' late rally.

Robbie Hudson and Javier Castillo each added two-hit efforts for Birmingham, and Castillo extended his road hitting streak to 15 consecutive games. David Cook earned three more walks to up his league-leading total to 42 on the season.

The Barons will look for their seventh straight win and a 4-0 lead in the series in an afternoon game Saturday at Joe Davis Stadium. In a matchup of southpaws, Ryan O'Malley (1-0) will get the nod for Birmingham and will be opposed by Brae Wright (1-5).

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