MOBILE, Ala. - Brandon Lowe's tie-breaking solo home run in the top of the 11th inning led the Biscuits (62-52) to an 8-7 (11) win over the Mobile BayBears (53-60) on Sunday night at Hank Aaron Stadium in what was a rollercoaster ride of a victory for the Butter and
MOBILE, Ala. - Brandon Lowe's tie-breaking solo home run in the top of the 11th inning led the Biscuits (62-52) to an 8-7 (11) win over the Mobile BayBears (53-60) on Sunday night at Hank Aaron Stadium in what was a rollercoaster ride of a victory for the Butter and Blue.
Logan Darnell made his seventh start for Montgomery, and did well enough, tossing seven innings and allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits, surrendering a walk but striking out none in a no-decision. Jesus Castillo was making his Double-A debut on the other side for Mobile, but the right-hander would last just 4.2 innings, allowing five runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts in a no-decision.
The BayBears opened up the scoring in the first with a Zach Houchins sac fly, but the Biscuits answered back with a three-run second thanks to a two-run double by Nick Ciuffo, who recorded his first four-hit game of the season, and a Nathan Lukes sac fly.
Mobile would make it 3-2 on a bases-loaded double play, but Montgomery started to pull away with a Jake Cronenworth sac fly in the fourth, and a Justin Williams RBI-double in the fifth to make it 5-2. A two-run blast by BayBears catcher Taylor Ward cut the deficit to one in the fifth, before an RBI-single by Lowe and a bases-loaded walk to Joe McCarthy made it 7-4 Biscuits in the sixth. The Butter and Blue would not score another run with the bases loaded and nobody out in the sixth, however, as reliever Jhondaniel Medina was somehow able to get out of the jam.
Alberto Triunfel would pull the BayBears back within a run with a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth, and the game would remain 7-6 until the bottom of the ninth when Biscuits closer Kyle Winkler came on and blew his first save of the year, issuing a game-tying single to Matt Thaiss that scored Tim Arawaka, who walked to begin the inning.
The game then shifted to extras, where both teams were playing for the 13th time this season, and after neither scored in the 10th, Lowe stepped up as the first batter in the 11th and drilled a towering fly ball to deep right-center off Tyler Warmoth (1-2) that sailed over the fence for the Rays' number 18 prospect's first Double-A home run.
Kyle Bird (4-1) got the first two outs in the bottom of the 11th, before Ian Gibaut came on and allowed a single to Ward. Brennon Lund then came on to pinch-run for the catcher, but was thrown out by Biscuits catcher Brett Sullivan to end the game.
The Biscuits will try to win the series in the rubber match on Tuesday night when José Mujica (9-8) faces off against Alex Klonowski (5-6) at 6:35 PM.
