Birmingham Barons Scorched by the Jacksonville Suns in Close 8-7 Loss

MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com – Birmingham, Ala. -- The Jacksonville Suns plated eight runs off 13 hits, but a fifth-inning error proved to be the difference in a tight 8-7 victory over the Birmingham Barons Thursday night. Despite the defeat, Birmingham maintained a five-game lead in the Southern League's South Division standings due to second-place Montgomery's loss earlier in the evening.

With the game tied at 5-5 in the fifth, Jacksonville (23-28) got a one-out single from Shane Justis, who stole second off reliever Fernando Hernandez (3-1), the third of six Barons pitchers on the night, and took third on the play thanks to a throwing error by catcher Cole Armstrong. Justis would then score what would prove to be the game-winning run, though unearned, on a two-out single.

Barons starter Ryan O'Malley ran into trouble early, allowing each of the first three batters of the game to reach with a hit. He would allow six runs on four hits before being lifted with the bases loaded and only two outs in the first. Shaun Babula wriggled out of the jam with an inning-ending groundout, but not before the Suns had sent 10 batters to the plate.

ADVERTISEMENT

Faced with an early 4-0 hole, Birmingham (31-23) responded in the second frame. After a pair of walks, a Micah Schnurstein single got the Barons on the board with their first run of the contest. Robbie Hudson followed with an RBI single, and a subsequent throwing error on the play allowed another run to score. Robert Valido drove in an additional run with a base hit that tied the game, and Ricardo Nanita would later add a go-ahead, RBI triple that was the team's sixth hit of the inning.

The lead would be short-lived, however, as Jacksonville loaded the bases against Babula with one out in the third and then tied the game on a run-scoring double play. While the Barons offense was being handcuffed by Suns reliever Brian Akin (2-5), who tossed three scoreless innings despite allowing four hits and three walks, the Suns were able to expand their advantage to 8-5 with the unearned run in the fifth and a pair of runs in the sixth.

Birmingham would have plenty of chances to climb back into the game but left 13 runners on base in the contest. The Barons stranded a pair of runners in the fourth and left the bases loaded in the fifth before finally breaking through in the seventh frame. Trailing by three, Schnurstein followed a Stefan Gartrell double with an RBI single. Three batters later, a Miguel Negron grounder turned into a run-producing fielder's choice that cut the Birmingham deficit to 8-7. The team would get no closer, though, stranding two more runners that inning and leaving the bases loaded in the eighth.

Javier Castillo posted a one-out single in the eighth, his only hit of the night, that extended his hitting streak to a team season-high 13 games.

After claiming the first two games of the series with the Suns, Birmingham has now lost back-to-back contests for the first time since dropping three straight to West Tenn and Jacksonville from May 14-16. The rubber match of this five-game set will be at Regions Park Friday night at 7:05 pm. Righthander Carlos Torres (5-2) will start for Birmingham and righty Jesus Castillo will get the nod for Jacksonville (2-2).

Subscribe TODAY and use the code BMR for 50% Holiday Savings off of the $11.99 annual subscription price!!!