Mobile BayBears Cruise 6-4 Past Montgomery Biscuits - AA, Southern League

MLN - THE RAW FEED - www.mlntherawfeed.com - MOBILE, Ala. – Early power and strong starting pitching was the recipe for victory on Wednesday night at Hank Aaron Stadium as the BayBears cruised to a 6-4 win over the Montgomery Biscuits.

With James Houser (3-2) having early control problems for Montgomery (36-42, 2-6), Javier Brito smashed a 3-1 fastball over the wall in left to give the BayBears (32-46, 3-5) a 2-0 advantage. Leading off the second, it was Chris Rahl’s turn to play long ball as his tater put the BayBears up by three.

That was plenty of cushion for Tony Barnette (4-6) as he lowered his June ERA to 2.83 with six solid innings of one-run, four-hit ball. Barnette’s only blemish came in the third as Rhyne Hughes singled home J.T. Hall, but Barnette averted more damage when he got Gaby Martinez to bounce out with the bases loaded.

Houser continued to struggle as Cyle Hankerd picked up an RBI in the bottom of the third while Cesar Nicolas and Orlando Mercado added RBI doubles in the fifth to make it a 6-1 BayBear lead. Montgomery drew closer in the eighth on Chris Nowak’s three-run homer, but Reid Mahon worked a perfect ninth to close out the triumph.
ADVERTISEMENT Hector Ambriz (4-9, 5.30) takes the ball on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. with 2007 number one overall draft pick David Price debuting for the Biscuits.

With the Fourth of July weekend just around the corner, the BayBears are offering three nights of fireworks at “The Hank.” On Thursday, July 3, the Mayor’s Cup between the Mobile Police and Fire Departments will be decided at Hank Aaron Stadium. The following two nights will feature the BayBears playing the Jacksonville Suns on Friday, July 4 and Saturday, July 5. Call for tickets at (251) 479-BEAR or log on to www.mobilebaybears.com.

BEAR CLAWS
•  Robert Huffman performed “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” on Wednesday. He is one of nine finalists who could sing the stretch at the MLB All-Star Game.
•  Barnette’s ERA has fallen from 6.60 to 4.65 since May 17 with only two runs allowed in 19 innings against the Biscuits.
•  Brito’s homer was his first at Hank Aaron Stadium since July 6, 2007 against Montgomery.    

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