Young, Smokies Bludgeon Barons, 9-1

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - RF Bijan Rademacher and 3B Chesny Young continued their recent tears with each player hitting home runs and finishing a triple shy of the cycle, as the Tennessee Smokies battered the Birmingham Barons en route to an 9-1 victory on Tuesday night at Regions Field.

With the win, Tennessee improves to 16-21 in the season's second leg and 44-63 overall. Birmingham's loss sends them to 15-23 in the second half and 44-64 in total.

Young (4-5, 3 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB, SO) led off the ballgame with an infield single to short and Major League rehabber - DH Jorge Soler (1-4, R, 2 BB, 2 SO) - followed with a free pass. Following a strike out, C Victor Caratini (2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB) poked a base-hit through a hole and into left field. Young scooted home from second to score and put the Smokies ahead, 1-0.

Just four pitches later, Rademacher (3-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI) made his presence felt. The 25-year-old cranked a 2-1 offering over the fence in deep right-center field for a three-run homer. The blast - Rademacher's ninth of the season - extended Tennessee's early advantage to 4-0.

Birmingham scratched a run across on a RBI single by 1B Keon Barnum (1-4, RBI, SO) in the second, but the Smokies quickly answered back in the top of the third. With one out, Rademacher cranked a ringing double off the wall in right and 1B David Freitas (1-4, RBI, BB, SO) followed with a run-scoring knock to center to put Tennessee up, 5-1.

The Smokies would add single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, as well. 

In the fifth, Caratini ignited the frame with a base-hit to right and moved to second on a wild pitch. Following a walk to Freitas, LF Kelly Dugan (2-4, R, 2B, RBI, BB, SO) smoked a shot into left-center. Caratini motored home to cross the plate and make it a 6-1 contest.

Young started the sixth with another infield knock to short before scooting into scoring position on another errant pitch. With one down, CF Ian Happ (2-6, RBI, 2 SO) delivered a single to right - scoring the Southern League Mid-Season All-Star - to put Tennessee ahead, 7-1.

Dugan and SS Carlos Penalver (1-5, SO) kicked off the seventh with back-to-back one-out singles before Young laced a RBI ground-rule double that bounced over the wall in left-center. The run-scoring, two-bagger gave the Smokies an 8-1 edge.

Young and Tennessee finished the game with an exclamation point in the ninth. With one away, the former Mercer Bear destroyed a 2-1 pitch that slammed off the videoboard in left field for a home run. The clout - Young's fourth long ball of the season - gave the Smokies a 9-1 lead.

The nine runs and 16 hits were more than enough for starter RHP Michael Wagner (7.0 IP, 5 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 3 SO). The 24-year-old lasted a career-high seven innings - recording his second straight quality start - surrendering one run on five hits, walking two and striking out three, en route to his second Double-A win of the year.

RHP Spencer Adams (3.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO) struggled in his third start with Birmingham. The former second-round pick issued five runs on six hits in three innings for his third straight defeat.

Young (4-5, 3 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB, SO) led the way for Tennessee by tying a season-high with four hits and reaching base five times. Rademacher (3-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI) collected three hits, a homer and three RBI to add to the Smokies attack, while Happ (2-6, RBI, 2 SO), Caratini (2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB) and Dugan (2-4, R, 2B, RBI, BB, SO) provided multi-hit games.

The Smokies will look capture their first in-division series on Wednesday night, as they are expected to send SL Mid-Seaon All-Star - RHP Brad Markey (6-6, 2.97 ERA) - to the bump. RHP Tyler Barnette (1-4, 5.22 ERA) is scheduled to toe the slab for the Barons.

The Pilot Pre-Game Show will kick off the broadcast at 7:50 p.m. ET, leading up to the 8:05 p.m. ET first pitch from RegionsField. Wednesday evening's broadcast can be heard on Sports Radio WNML 99.1 FM and 990 AM, as well as SmokiesBaseball.com and via the TuneInRadio and MiLB First Pitch apps.

After the road trip, the Smokies will return home on Friday, August 5, for a five-game series against the Montgomery Biscuits, the Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. In honor of the upcoming festivies in Rio de Janeiro, it will be Olympics Night at the ballpark. There will be special videoboard graphics, on-field games and music as a part of the fun. It will also be College Fair Night, as students will have a chance to meet with representatives from local colleges and universities on the concourse. The affair on August 5 will also be another Scout Night with special ticket packages available for local boy and girl scout groups. Finally, like all Friday home contests, there will be a tremendous postgame fireworks show following the final out. Friday night fireworks are presented by Pepsi, Coors Light, WIVK, WVLT and the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Single-game tickets, as well as multi-voucher and season ticket packages are still available, and can be purchased online at smokiesbaseball.com, or by calling the Smokies Ticket Office at 865-286-2300.

The Tennessee Smokies Charity of Choice for the 2016 season is Alzheimer's Tennessee. Alzheimer's Tennessee's mission is to serve those facing Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, to promote brain health through education, and to champion global prevention and treatment efforts. For more information on how to join the Tennessee Smokies in helping Alzheimer's Tennessee achieve their mission, please visit http://www.alztennessee.org/smokies/.

 

ABOUT THE TENNESSEE SMOKIES

The Tennessee Smokies are the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Members of the ten-team Southern League, Smokies baseball has been entertaining families and fans of America's national pastime in the East Tennessee region for over 100 years. To learn more about the Tennessee Smokies, visit www.smokiesbaseball.com.