Birmingham Barons Rally Past Mobile BayBears 3-2 - AA, Southern League

MLN - THE RAW FEED - www.mlntherawfeed.com - HOOVER, Ala. -- Javier Colina hit a tie-breaking two-run homer in the eighth, and Ricardo Nanita threw out a runner at the plate for the final out of the ballgame in Birmingham's come-from-behind, 3-2 win over Mobile Tuesday night. It was the third straight win overall for Birmingham (48-36, 8-6) and the team's fourth in five games against the BayBears (35-49, 6-8) this season.

With the game tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Victor Mercedes hit a fly ball to left field that would have been the first out of the inning. However, Mobile catcher Orlando Mercado was ruled to have interfered with Mercedes' swing and the batter was given first base. Colina followed with a line-drive home run down the left field line, his second of the year, that gave the Barons a 3-1 advantage.

John Lujan tried to close out the BayBears in the top of the ninth but ran into a persistent Mobile comeback attempt. After a quick groundout to open the inning, consecutive singles put men at first and second. Lujan induced a popout for the

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second out of the frame, but Guillermo Reyes slapped an RBI single up the middle to pull the visitors within 3-2 and put the tying run at second base.

Cyle Hankerd then ripped a single past third baseman Mercedes into left field, and Rusty Ryal was waved around third towards home. Left fielder Ricardo Nanita fired a strong throw to the plate, and catcher Erick San Pedro picked the short-hop and tagged out a sliding Ryal for the final out of the game.

The two combatants entered the contest as the lowest-scoring teams in the Southern League, and it showed early as both teams struggled at the plate. Birmingham starter Aaron Poreda cruised through the first four innings, allowing just two hits, until he was touched for a run in the fifth thanks to a leadoff walk and a two-out single. He allowed just that one run in 6.2 innings, surrendering four total hits and a walk while striking out five batters.

His counterpart, Adam Howard, was just as effective, logging six shutout innings to open the game. He was lifted after allowing a leadoff single and a walk to open the seventh and departed having allowed just five hits and two walks, while fanning three. He was charged with a run after reliever Abe Woody (1-3) allowed one of the inherited runners to score the game-tying run on an infield grounder hit by San Pedro.

Birmingham reliever Fernando Hernandez (5-2) earned the win after 1.1 scoreless innings of work, and despite the dramatics in the ninth, Lujan held on for his third save of the year.

The two teams will square off again Wednesday evening at 7:05 pm. Right-hander Carlos Torres (8-4), recently named to the Southern League's All-Star Team, is slated to start for the Barons and will be opposed by fellow righty Cesar Valdez (0-0).

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