Houser, Noriega lead Shuckers to second-straight win over Barons
BILOXI, MS. - Adrian Houser made his first start since June 1, but showed no ill effects of the long layoff, as the 23-year-old hurler tossed a gem in the Biloxi Shuckers' 4-2 victory over the Birmingham Barons on Saturday night at MGM Park. A rambunctious crowd of 3,509 saw the Shuckers move within 0.5 games of first place in the Southern League South at the conclusion of the contest.
Tyrone Taylor (1x3, HR, RBI, R) snapped a 44-game homerless streak with a leadoff blast over the wall in left on the first pitch of the second inning to give the Shuckers a 1-0 lead.
Birmingham (26-36) tallied a run in the fourth to tie the game at 1-1. Eudy Pina singled Jake Peter up to second base, but an error on Garrett Cooper at first allowed Peter to move up to third on the play. Courtney Hawkins followed by reaching on a fielder's choice, scoring Peter from third.
Biloxi (35-26) responded with two runs in the home half of the inning to retake the lead. Cooper (1x3, R) started the frame with a single up the middle into center, and Jacob Nottingham (0x3, R) was hit by a pitch to put the first two on base. Taylor flew out to deep center, allowing both runners to advance, and Nick Ramirez (0x3) hit a sharp liner to second for the second out of the inning.
Noriega (2x3, HR, 3 RBI, R) made up for an early error by stroking a two-run single to center to score Cooper and Nottingham to put the home team ahead by two. The newly-acquired infielder contributed to the run output, again, in the seventh with a solo shot into the netting in left for his first homer as a Shucker to push the lead to three.
The advantage would be more than enough for Houser (3-5), as the 6'4" right-hander allowed just one run (unearned) for a second-consecutive start and earned his first win since May 9 against the Jacksonville suns. The Oklahoma native tied a team-high with seven innings pitched, gave up four hits, walked one batter and struck out eight on 96 pitches (64 strikes).
Tyler Spurlin ran into a jam in the eighth inning, but used his sweeping curve to diminish any thought of a rally by Birmingham. After Adam Engel reached on a fielder's choice and Joey DeMichele singled to put runners on the corners, the Shuckers' submariner used the bender to set down Peter and Pina on strikes to escape the frame with no damage.
Stephen Kohlscheen (SV, 5) earned his fifth save of the season, but not without drama. The right-hander struck out the first two men of the inning, but allowed three-consecutive singles to allow a run to score. The reliever struck out Engel to end the game and secure the win.
Barons' starter Jordan Guerrero (3-3) tossed a quality start with three runs allowed in six innings, while giving up four hits, walking a man and striking out three.
With the win, fans get 50% off online orders tomorrow from Papa Johns! Use the promo code "SHUCKERS" at papajohns.com! Valid at participating Gulf Coast locations only.
The Shuckers will go for their second-straight series victory in game three of the five-game series on Sunday night at MGM Park. RHP Javi Salas seeks looks to rebound from a rough start his last time out on June 7 against Montgomery, in which the 24-year-old lasted just 1.1 innings and walked five for Biloxi. Birmingham will counter with RHP Brandon Brennan (1-3, 14.11) First pitch is scheduled for 5:10 p.m., with coverage starting at 4:50 p.m. on the Biloxi Shuckers' Radio Network's flagship station WGCM 1240 AM, 100.9 FM, Pascagoula's WPMO 1580 AM and the TuneIn Radio app.
Sunday's contest features McDonald's Family Fun Day at MGM Park. Fans can also celebrate Father's Day early with Little Princess Night, featuring a pre-game Princess Parade and in-game activities.
The promotions finish up in the series finale on Tuesday night for Gulfport Community Night.
Tickets for individual regular season games are currently on-sale and may be purchased by visiting the MGM Park box office or any Ticketmaster outlet. Season Tickets, Shmini Plans, Group Tickets, Party Deck Tickets and Mercedes-Benz Mini Suite Tickets are available by calling the Shuckers at 228-233-3465. For more details, visit biloxishuckers.com.
About the Biloxi Shuckers:
The Biloxi Shuckers are the Double-A Affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and a member of the Southern League. For up-to-date news and notes throughout the offseason, visit biloxishuckers.com, follow the club on Twitter (@biloxishuckers), Instagram (@officialbiloxishuckers) or like the team on Facebook (facebook.com/biloxishuckers).