Redbirds Wrap Up Homestand With Loss to Louisville

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – The Memphis Redbirds wrapped up their weeklong, six-game series against the Louisville Bats (Triple-A affiliate, Cincinnati Reds) with an 8-7 loss on Sunday afternoon at AutoZone Park. The ‘Birds still dominated the season series, winning 17 of their 24 games against Louisville this season.

Matthew Liberatore tossed another impressive start for Memphis (57-63), allowing just one run on five hits with six strikeouts. The top pitching prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals system is finishing the season strong. Liberatore has allowed three earned runs or less in each of his last eight outings. Since August, the 21-year-old has surrendered 17 earned runs in 49.0 IP for an ERA of 3.12 with 46 strikeouts.

The game was tied at one entering the fifth inning, when the Redbirds surged ahead with three separate two-out RBI hits. Brendan Donovan had one of the RBI hits. He had an outstanding afternoon at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three singles and two runs driven in.

Alec Burleson added insurance with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh. Burleson brought out his power bat this week at AutoZone Park. The lefthanded slugger had five extra-base hits (two home runs, three doubles) with six runs scored.

Louisville (51-68) went ahead for good with a five-run eighth inning. The Bats had five hits in the frame, including a go-ahead, two-run, two-out single from* Narciso Crook. *He finished the series 6-18 at the plate, good for a .333 batting average.

Memphis scored a run in the eighth to slim the deficit to 7-6, but Louisville bounced right back with another run in the ninth via a* Chris Okey *home run to make it 8-6 and a two-run lead again. Okey had an awesome day at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two home runs and three runs scored.

The Redbirds completed the afternoon’s scoring via a Kramer Robertson solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. He had an excellent end to the series. Robertson went 4-for-7 combined between Saturday and Sunday with five runs driven in and three runs scored.

The Memphis Redbirds are the proud Triple-A Affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. Memphis has claimed four League Championships and one Triple-A National Championship since their affiliation with St. Louis began in 1998. For the latest team news, follow the Redbirds on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Ticket information can be found at memphisredbirds.com/tickets.

Next Game

Tuesday, September 21 at Jacksonville (6:05 p.m. CT)

• Redbirds Probable Starter: LHP Zack Thompson
• Jumbo Shrimp Probable Starter: RHP Nick Neidert

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