Sheets Blast, Medeiros Relief Not Enough in Barons 8-7 Loss

JACKSON, Tenn. - A slow hit, infield single was the downfall of the Birmingham Barons (41-50) Friday night in their 8-7 loss to the Jackson Generals (52-40) from The Ballpark at Jackson.

Trailing by two and down to the Barons last out in the ninth, first baseman Gavin Sheets channeled the ice in his veins and crushed a powerful two-run homer to center to score Nick Madrigal and tie the game at 7-7.
The homer was Sheets' 12^th of the season and catapulted him to the Southern League RBI lead with 63.
Unfortunately, the Barons wouldn't get to extra innings. After a Daulton Varsho double and advancement to third on a wild pitch from Codi Heuer, Generals outfielder Jamie Westbrook cued a soft single down the third base line that scored Varsho and won the game for Jackson 8-7.
After eight runs in the first game, the Generals picked up where they left off. Thanks to a two-run homer from Jaimie Westbrook and another two-run shot from Drew Ellis, Jackson claimed a quick 4-0 lead on Tanner Banks.
Westbrook's homer was his 12^th of the season and already his fifth against the Barons this season.
The Barons would immediately start chipping away in the second inning, getting going on a Ti'Quan Forbes double off the center field wall to score Sheets.
Forbes wouldn't wait on base long, as the next batter Luis González singled Forbes home to make it 4-2. The Barons would get it down to one run, after a Sheets sacrifice fly in the third to make it 4-3.
During the Baron's productive third, the second baseman Madrigal grounded a ball hard through the hole on the left side for his first hit of the night. With the single, the White Sox No. 4 prospect extended his current hitting streak to 16-straight games and is currently holds the Barons longest hitting streak this season.
The Generals didn't take their foot off the gas and pushed on. In the fourth, Jackson outfielder Jeffrey Baez launched the team's third two-run home run of the night to also score Mark Karaviotis and make it 6-3.
Jackson got their seventh run after Ellis reached on a fielding error from replacement third baseman Damek Tomscha. The mistake allowed Jamie Westbrook to score and make it 7-3.
Again, Birmingham inched closer after a Laz Rivera RBI single in the sixth and a Tomscha sac fly in the seventh to make it 7-5 before Sheets' home run in the ninth.
Barons starter Tanner Banks, who came into the game holding the Generals to zero homers and a .143 batting average on the season, saw the tables turn. Jackson tabbed him for six earned runs in five innings and Banks only recorded one strikeout.
The first Barons reliever out of the bullpen was lefty Kodi Medeiros, who continued his masterful resurgence as a reliever. After three scoreless innings, he lowered his relief ERA to 1.48 in 24.2 innings. In that time, he has 25 strikeouts and has given up just four earned runs.
In his second at bat, Forbes argued a called strike three after he returned to the dugout and was ejected by home plate umpire Sam Burch. It was the first ejection by a Barons player or coach this season.
Jackson, the number one scoring and home run hitting team in the league coming into the day, belted the three homers to raise their total to 92 this season.
The Generals have now won seven in a row and sit one game behind Birmingham for first place in the North division in the second half. The Barons have dropped three in a row.
The Barons will pick back up at 6:05 p.m. Saturday against the Generals. Right-hander Lincoln Henzman (2-3, 4.43) will make his eighth start of the season.
WJQX-FM 100.5 will be the home of the Barons on Saturday. Fans can tune into the Coca-Cola Pregame Show starting at 5:50 p.m.
The Birmingham Barons are the proud Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. The Barons will open the home portion of their 2019 season, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of Michael Jordan's lone year in baseball, against the Tennessee Smokies at 7:05 p.m. April 10 at Regions Field. For ticket information, game schedule, promotions calendar or additional information about Regions Field, please visit barons.com or call (205) 988-3200.
Southern League Champions: 1906 • 1912 • 1914 • 1928 • 1929 • 1931 • 1958 • 1967 •1983 • 1987 • 1989 • 1993 • 2002 • 2013
33-Year Double-A Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox