Barons Get 1st Win of the 2025 Season

Jacob Gonzales hit a bases loaded triple to give the Barons a one-run lead as Birmingham goes on to a 6-4 win over the Knoxville Smokies before 5,346 on Friday night. The Barons trailed 4-1 going into the bottom of the seventh inning and scored five runs in the big inning.

Starting pitcher Noah Schultz pitched four innings, giving up four runs on eight hits with one walk and five strikeouts. The Barons' bullpen was spectacular in the last five innings of the game. Winning pitcher Andrew Dalquist (1-0) pitched two innings with a strikeout in relief. Left-handed Gil Luna pitched a perfect eighth inning with three strikeouts. Peyton Pallette gets his first save of the season with a perfect ninth inning.

The Smokies scored three runs in the second inning with RBI singles by Hayden Cantrelle and Jordan Jwogu. In the third inning, the Smokies scored on a RBI single by Pedro Ramirez, and Knoxville took an early 4-0 lead. The Barons scored a run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Mario Camilletti tripled to left field and scored on a Jacob Burke sacrifice fly. Camilletti led the Barons with four hits and two runs scored in the Barons' win.

The five-run seventh inning started when the first five batters reached base. A single by Camilletti, Burke, and walks by Michael Turner and William Bergolla. Gonzalez cleared the bases with his three-RBI triple, and DJ Gladney hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Gonzolez, and the Barons took the 6-4 lead. Wilfred Veras had two hits and a stolen base, and Turner had two hits, a walk, and a run scored.

The Barons (1-0) will play Knoxville (0-1) in game two of the series on Saturday at 6:30 pm. RHP Chris Cachmar will take the mound for the Smokies, and LHP Hagen Smith will take the mound for the Barons.