Late Rally Sinks Barons In 5-4 Defeat

An early lead and a strong start on the mound were not enough for the Birmingham Barons (6-5), as a late Jackson Generals (8-2) rally led them to a 5-4 win on Monday night at The Ballpark at Jackson.

• Moments That Mattered: Birmingham's bats began the meticulous attack in the top of the second as two singles and a walk loaded the bases to start the frame against Alex Young. Trey Michalczewski  plated the game's first run with a single and Courtney Hawkins followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Barons a 2-0 lead. Seby Zavala's sacrifice fly in the third and Matt Rose's  double off the center field wall in the fifth gave Birmingham two more runs.
• Facts And Figures: After lasting just 3.1 innings in his first start as a Baron, Matt Tomshaw rebounded with a quality start on Monday. Over 6.0 solid innings, the southpaw gave up two earned runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out five.
• Turning Point: The game unraveled for the Barons in the bottom of the eighth as Jorge Rondon (L, 0-1) gave up five hits, including a two-out single from former Baron Jose Vinicio that proved to be the game winning hit.
• By The Numbers: The late loss resulted in the Barons' first blown save of the season after converting their first five opportunities. It is the first time in the 2018 season the Barons have lost a game while leading after seven innings. Tomshaw's quality start is the Barons' third over their first 11 games.
• Up Next: The Barons and Generals meet for the second of five games on Tuesday night at 6:05 p.m. Spencer Adams (1-0, 4.35) will start for the Barons against Taylor Widener (0-0, 6.43). First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Curt Bloom will have the call on 960 WERC News Radio and the iHeart Radio app.