Birmingham Handles Tennessee 6-2 in Series Penultimate 

The Barons took their second win of the Smokies series with a 6-2 win.

Birmingham got an outstanding start from left-handed pitcher Steven Moyers. He went 5.2 IP, which was just the third time all season that a Barons starter made it to the sixth. Two of those appearances came in Moyers' last two starts. His first three innings were hitless.

Moyers got immediate run support in the first inning when Raudy Read blasted his fifth home run of the season off the scoreboard in left field. That put the Barons up 2-0. In the third inning with the bases loaded, Jose Rodriguez brought in two more runs with his sixth double of the season. Read and Lenyn Sosa scored. Alex Destino was thrown out at the plate for the final out of the frame.

Moyers finally gave up a hit in the fourth and that led to a run. Darius Hill led off with a bunt single and then Bryce Ball brought him in with an RBI double. That made it 4-1, with Birmingham still leading comfortably.

The bullpens traded zeroes for the next couple of innings, until the eighth when Raudy Read drove in Lenyn Sosa with a sacrifice fly to center field. Read finished 2-3 with two runs scored and three runs driven in. After that, Alex Destino grounded into a fielder's choice which plated Tyler Neslony.

Darius Hill's RBI single in the ninth was not enough for the Smokies to piece together a comeback. Caleb Freeman shut the door to give Birmingham their second win in three days.