Arcia, Shaw guide Shuckers past Smokies, hit 50 win mark
KODAK, TN - The Shuckers snapped a three-game losing streak with an 8-5 victory over the Tennessee Smokies at Smokies Stadium on Thursday night, starting the second-half of the 10-game road trip. Shortstop Orlando Arcia led a Shuckers offense that tallied 11 hits by finishing the evening 3-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and two stolen bases. Late addition to the lineup, Nick Shaw reached base safely five times in the win. The win places every team in the Southern League South in a tie for first place at 7-7 at the conclusion of Thursday's action and makes the Shuckers the eighth team in minor league baseball to reach the 50-win plateau.
Biloxi (7-7) started the scoring with a two-run second, using a RBI single from lead-off man Nick Shaw (2x3, RBI, 3 R, 3 BB) and a run-scoring double by Orlando Arcia (3x4, 3 RBI, R, 2 2B, 2 SB) to spot the Shuckers to a 2-0 lead.
Tennessee (6-7) put up a two-spot in the bottom-half of the third inning to knot the game with aN RBI single by Bijan Rademacher and a RBI groundout by Stephen Bruno.
The Shuckers created separation with a five-run fifth to pull ahead, 7-2. Shaw singled and moved over to second on a walk to Tyrone Taylor (1x4, R, 2 BB) to set up Arcia's second RBI of the game on a single. Michael Reed (2x5, RBI, R) followed with a single to push Taylor across and Nick Ramirez' (1x3, 2 RBI, 2 BB, R) two-run single plated Arcia and Reed to give Biloxi a four-run advantage. Victor Roache's (1x3, RBI, 3B, BB) triple, one out later, allowed Ramirez across for the fifth run of the inning. Ramirez has eight RBI's over his last five games and is second in the Southern League with 56 on the year.
Biloxi would tack on another run in the fifth for a six-run lead on a RBI double for Arcia to bring in Shaw and make it an 8-2 game. The 20-year-old shortstop collected his 12th three-hit performance and now leads the league with 24 doubles.
Shuckers' starter Hobbs Johnson (6-4) was effective in his outing, coming one out shy of picking up his second quality start of the season. In 5.2 innings of work, the southpaw from North Carolina allowed four runs on five hits, five walks and three strikeouts. The 23-year-old left after walking Tyler Pearson and giving way to Derek Eitel out of the bullpen.
The Smokies clawed their way back with two runs in the sixth and added on another in the eighth off of reliever Jed Bradley. Tennessee loaded the bases with one out, but Damien Magnifico (SV, 11) struck out Wilson Contreras and got Billy McKinney to ground out to second to keep the Shuckers' lead at three. The Shuckers' closer would shut down Tennessee in the ninth and use a game-ending double play to secure the win.
Biloxi will try to start a new winning streak on Friday night against the Smokies in game two of the five-game series. RHP Brooks Hall (7-5, 4.68) will toe the rubber for the Shuckers, while the Tennessee will send out RHP Ivan Pineyro (5-4, 3.72) First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m., with coverage beginning at 5:50 p.m. on 1240-AM WGCM, 1580-AM WPMO and the Biloxi Shuckers Radio Network. Fans can also listen to the game using the TuneIn Radio app or by going to www.biloxishuckers.com.
Tickets are currently on-sale for the next homestand at MGM Park, which begins on Wednesday, July 15 and runs through Tuesday, July 21 against the Chattanooga Lookouts (MIN) and Mobile BayBears (ARI). The next Post-Game Fireworks show is Friday, July 17.
In addition to purchasing tickets at the MGM Park Box Office, fans may also use the options listed below from Ticketmaster. In order to purchase tickets over the phone, please call Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. The MGM Park Box Office does not process any phone sales. All phone sales must be made through Ticketmaster with the number provided.
In order to purchase tickets online, please visit www.ticketmaster.com or www.BiloxiShuckers.com. Tickets may also be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets. Please visit www.ticketmaster.com for additional locations in your area. ** There are no refunds or exchanges for individual game tickets**