Barons Outlast Clingstones 8-5 at Home Tonight

By Jeff Allison

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Birmingham Barons used six extra base hits as they went to defeat the Columbus Clingstones 8-5 before 2,589 at Regions Field on Tuesday night. Four doubles and two home runs were key in the Barons win.

Starting pitcher Lucas Gordon (1-2, 7.64) gets his first win of the season, going 5.0 innings, giving up four hits, three earned runs, two walks with six strikeouts. Jairo Iriarte pitched 2.0 innings, giving up two hits, two earned runs, a walk with two strikeouts. Jackson Kelley gets his second save of the season, going two innings, giving up two hits, no runs, no walks with two strikeouts.

Columbus (9-7) struck first in the game, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. The big blow was a Tristin English home run. The Clingstones led 3-0 early.

The Barons (7-9) responded with a run in the bottom of the first inning. On a strikeout, Alec Makarewicz steals second, then Samuel Zavala steals home, and the Barons cut the lead to 3-1.

In the bottom of the second inning, Jacob Burke had an infield single. Jordan Sprinkle doubled to center field. Samuel Zavala doubles down the right field line, scoring Burke and Sprinkle, and the game was tied at 3-3. Braden Montgomery sacrifice fly, scored Zavala, and the Barons took the 4-3 lead.

In the bottom of the third inning, Jeral Perez homered to center field, and the Barons led 5-3. With two outs, Burke walked, and Adam Fogel hit a deep home run to left field, and the Barons led 7-3. Gordon pitched four solid innings when he left the game in the fifth.

In the top of the seventh inning, the Clingstones scored on a David McCabe two-run home run, and the Barons lead was trimmed to 7-5.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Alec Makarewicz doubled to center field, and Perez doubled down the right field line, scoring Makarewicz, and the Barons led 8-5.

Jackson Kelley nailed down the last two innings to get the save for the Barons.

Perez had a home run, double, two RBI, and a run scored. Sprinkle had a double, a single, a run scored, a walk, and a stolen base. Zavala had a hit, two RBI, two runs scored, two walks, and a stolen base.