Biscuits Bury Birmingham 15-5
Sunday's series finale between the Barons and Biscuits did not go accordingly. Seeing that the all-star break was approaching, both sides wanted a fast ballgame, but, like the rest of this series, Sunday's game approached the three-hour mark. Overall, pitching was not the strong suit on Sunday, as the two
Sunday's series finale between the Barons and Biscuits did not go accordingly. Seeing that the all-star break was approaching, both sides wanted a fast ballgame, but, like the rest of this series, Sunday's game approached the three-hour mark. Overall, pitching was not the strong suit on Sunday, as the two teams combined for 29 hits. Birmingham started Scott Blewett for the 17th time this year, while Montgomery rode their bullpen to victory.
Blewett's day lasted only three innings after Montgomery manhandled him for six runs, all earned. In the first, a balk extended the inning and pushed a runner to third, who then came around to score thanks to a sac-fly. The following inning, Montgomery added another by roping a triple down the line. The third inning proved to be the initial breaking point and the ending point for Blewett. Four Biscuits scored in the third, three of which came courtesy of Niko Hulsizer's third home run of the series.
With two down in the bottom half, Jose Rodriguez extended his hitting streak to ten, as well as his league-wide lead in hits and triples by killing a ball off the wall. After a scoreless top half, the Barons cut their deficit to just three in the fourth, thanks to some solid gappers. Specifically, Yoelqui Cespedes and J.J. Muno roped a double and a single to drive in an RBI each. Nonetheless, the offensive surge in the frame proved irrelevant as Montgomery pulled away in the fifth.
Like the night before and Birmingham's eight-run frame, the Biscuits countered with a strike of their own, as they racked up six runs to double their run total. Once again, for the fourth time this series, all of which coming in tape-measure fashion, Niko Hulsizer smacked another three-run homer. Then, a little later, Evan Edwards smoked a two-run dinger, putting the score at 12-3 in the fifth. For the most part, this ended any and all momentum Birmingham created from the innings prior.
That said, the bats didn't fade entirely, as they posted another run in the fifth and sixth. Raudy Read maintained his big series by hitting a double in the alley, which scored Jose Rodriguez. Yoelqui Cespedes bopped his second solo-homer of the series in the subsequent inning. However, with three more runs for Montgomery in the eighth, the game reached blowout status. In the end, the Biscuits bounced back to split the series by a score of 15-5. Even so, the Barons remain in first place for the Southern League's second half. Their next game isn't until Friday, though, as the Barons begin a long road trip in Huntsville.